Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Humour, mental health & online modesty: An interview with Sheikh Azhar Nasser

“I wouldn’t even make a distinction between the real world and social media. Modesty, decency and decorum should be reflected in our conduct both online and offline.”
Sheikh Azhar Nasser was born and raised in Michigan and has a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan. After completing his academic studies, he pursued his religious studies at the Hawza of Najaf under the offices of Grand Ayatollah Sistani and Grand Ayatollah Hakim. He is also the religious director of CBE, an organization which specializes in the production of short, spiritually-uplifting videos. He is active on Twitter, where his tweets, marked by both humour and sensitivity have made him something of an Internet sensation. In this interview, he speaks about the mental health misconceptions within the Muslim community, the making of halal humour, the ulema-community relationship today, and the adab required to handle social media.
Your tweets on mental health were both sensitive and urgent, and found a wide audience across the internet. What are some common misconceptions regarding mental health within the Muslim community?
There are too many to list, but in my view, the most dangerous misconception in the Muslim community about depression is that it is an indicator of weak faith. Muslims who suffer from depression are reluctant to seek counseling because they are afraid of being perceived as abnormal or spiritually deficient. I’ve personally buried a fellow Muslim who died of suicide and it was heartbreaking because I know he was labeled as a “bad Muslim”, when all he needed was some compassion and guidance. As Muslims, we need to show more compassion, empathy and actively try to help those who are suffering before they reach their breaking points. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) famously said, “Have mercy upon those on earth, so the One in the heavens will have mercy on you.”
Your tweets have been described by some as ‘halal humour.’ As Muslims, what is the place of humour in our lives?
Life can be overwhelming at times and humour, in my estimation, is a necessary coping mechanism. In fact, humour is a part of the Holy Prophet’s legacy. It is reported that the Prophet (saw) once said, “A believer is fun and playful, and a hypocrite is grim and angry.” I truly believe that people need to lighten up and learn to be more joyful and pleasant.
Speaking of humour, was it a deliberate choice on your part to connect better with your audience, or is it something that comes naturally to you?
I wouldn’t call it a deliberate choice because that implies that I had some impressive plan that I wanted to implement to attract people to Islam. The reality is, I simply posted things that I personally found entertaining and comical and it seemed to resonate with people. My wife and daughter think I’m funny and that’s all that really matters to me.
You once spoke of etiquette, adab which applies to believers both in the real world and on social media. What is the adab we need to maintain while using social media?
I wouldn’t even make a distinction between the real world and social media. Modesty, decency and decorum should be reflected in our conduct both online and offline. In fact, I would argue that we should exercise even more caution when we’re online because it is much easier to misread, misinterpret and misconstrue communication that occurs online. With said, I think a higher degree of taqwa should be applied on social media platforms.
During Ramadan, you wrote that ‘what is worse than missing Suhur? Missing Fajr.’ What is the difference between a person who starts a day with Fajr and a person who starts without it?
Prayer is food for the soul and the daily prayers represent the minimum spiritual nourishment the soul needs to maintain its health. Missing the Fajr prayer is analogous to starting your day without breakfast. There is nothing in this world that can fill the human heart but God. One of my favourite quotes is a statement by C.S Lewis who said, “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” The Fajr prayer is an opportunity to introduce true joy to your heart every morning. Why deprive yourself of that?
On the internet today, we find both information and misinformation. When it comes to religious knowledge, would you recommend people to read and research on their own via the internet, or would you dissuade them, considering that knowledge online may not always be reliable?
We live in the information age and the internet is undoubtedly a valuable tool, but deepening your religious knowledge requires guidance from a learned, pious scholar. The Islamic tradition has placed great importance on the student-teacher relationship. People who are self-taught often develop misconceptions because they don’t have someone to ensure that they are properly understanding the material. They are often susceptible to what is called “compound ignorance” whereby, they are ignorant of their ignorance. Studying under the tutelage of a qualified scholar offers much-needed mentorship which will direct you to the primary sources of our religious tradition and provide you with the educational tools you need to become a life-long student.
I want to add a related question to that. Does the internet help us connect better with each other, or does it foster more factionalism, more intolerance between people of varying sects and schools?
There is a famous saying that goes “Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil.” The same principle applies to the internet. It is a tool that can either be used to bring about education, love and tolerance or it can be used to spread hate, disunity and ignorance.
Traditionally, the ulema in Islamic societies have enjoyed an important place in Muslim society. Today, with the dearth of trained religious scholars, plus limited interactions with the community, how is the ulema-community relationship faring today? What are ways to improve the situation?
I think the solution is actually simple. We need communities to sponsor young people to pursue Islamic scholarship. Traditionally, communities in the West have imported scholars from the East but we actually need to export people from our communities who have an interest in becoming Islamic scholars and bring them back to the community. It’s not coincidental that God guides communities by appointing one of their one. The Holy Quran in one verse states, “And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people…” [Quran 14:4]. An Imam who has lived in the West, for example, is more familiar with the cultural nuances to be an effective guide and role model for the community. I would also take it a step further and encourage mosques to have both male and female resident scholars to fully meet the needs of the congregation they are serving.
Given that today many Muslims live in Muslim-minority lands, what are some ways they can integrate better in the community, live with mutual co-existence, and be treated as equals, yet while at the same time, retaining their Islamic identity?
If we actually applied the ethical teachings of Islam, non-Muslims would welcome us into their communities with open arms. The problem with us is that we talk Islam but we don’t walk it. We need to make positive contributions to the wider society as taught to us by the Holy Prophet (saw). The Holy Prophet made an effort to improve the lives of Muslims and non-Muslims alike. When all members of a society are at the receiving end of our mercy, generosity and care, we will have integrated as well as solidified our Islamic identity.
We live in a world which is fast-paced, hyper-connected, and media-heavy. In such a scenario, how does one build and sustain taqwa?
I believe we need to make a conscious effort to slow down and disconnect every once in a while. The Holy Prophet (saw) used to spend some time contemplating, meditating and worshipping in the Cave of Hira. I’m not saying that we need to literally live in solitude but we do need short periods of solitude even if its 10-15 minutes per day. During this time you need to evaluate the direction of your life and ask yourself those deep philosophical questions. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How do I get there? Taqwa is achieved by developing 3 simple habits:
  1. Stipulation, also known as مشارطة “Mushaarata”, whereby you make a firm resolution to abandon a particular sin that you commit. Incentivize yourself with reward if needed.
  2. Monitoring, also known as مراقبة “Muraaqaba”, whereby you monitor yourself and pay attention to your words and actions to ensure you commit to your resolution. When you’re on a diet, you monitor your calorie intake. Think of this as a spiritual diet whereby you are reducing the burden of sin.
  3. Evaluation, also known as محاسبة “Muhaasaba”, whereby you evaluate yourself at the end of the day to see how you fared.
If you develop this habit, you will slowly acquire God-consciousness.

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