Desert Son: Tales of Le_Muslim_MAN

Choose Your Friends WISELY

Okay, so this one I'm hoping to keep short. Anyways, okay so remember that friend I mentioned in the last post, "Salim?" Well, I've known him about 3 years or so now, but APPARENTLY I was friends with his cousin years before that and never even knew it. His cousin, whose name is no longer befitting, will be called Rodrick for this post lol.

So, I knew Rodrick at the Masjid, we used to hang out during Ramadan and do some parkour with another friend of mine, "Faiz." Not to sound judgmental or arrogant or anything, but Rodrick wasn't as...shall we say religious, as Faiz and I. He didn't seem bad or anything, but just wasn't as practicing with certain things. Whatever. Everyone has their own struggles and most teens aren't entirely into religion and such all the time.

Anyways, one year, I noticed Rodrick was hanging out with this new guy (named Taylor....not a fake name, his real name is Taylor lol) more and more who, I immediately took a disliking to him and I didn't even know why. Something about his presence and his face just gave off some type of negative feeling I couldn't figure out. Something just told me he didn't belong.

But since I didn't know Taylor (or know that his name was Taylor), I chastised myself and thought it was maybe some sort of badness in myself to make me think bad of him when everyone else seemed to be fine with him. Faiz knew him, some other kids from the Masjid knew him, and they were all fine with him. Rodrick (lol, if only you knew why I chose THAT to be his fake name) was always with him.

Eventually, I found out that Taylor was a friend from school, and that Rodrick was the one bringing him to the Masjid. I also found out that Taylor wasn't a Muslim, so that relieved me a bit because I had had a small feeling from some of the stuff he did that made me think he wasn't such a good Muslim, and well, that explained that lol. So then I let go of the negativity and looked at the situation as a good thing. I was thinking Rodrick was giving him da'wah, calling him to Islam and showing him how Muslims are, what Ramadan is like, etc etc.

So I was proud of Rodrick. He may not have been as much into reading Quran or listening to lectures with Faiz and I, but (i thought) he still had some passion for Islam and was actively helping out a curious classmate. I was almost tempted to jump in and steal some of the reward in any way that I could lol.

Then came the facebook stuff. Through Rodrick, I started seeing posts from Taylor on facebook all the time and I found out he was an atheist. Okay, fine, whatever. Loads of atheists have been lost and then found their way to Islam. Maybe he was seeking out God and trying to find belief.

Nope. He was mocking. Like, okay, again, if he didn't believe in Islam or religion, then obviously he's not going to agree with everything. But the way he spoke, it wasn't debate or arguing even. It was just condescending, ignorant, snarky stupidity befitting only to an impudent brat child without an ounce of understanding or maturity.

And yet the very next day, Taylor would be right at the Masjid with Rodrick, wearing a kufi (which Rodrick didn't even do so idk who convinced Taylor to wear one and perpetrate) and having iftar with everyone. A few times he'd even gone to pray (if you can even call it that since well...he didn't believe anything, he was just doing motions and saying ameen to things he didn't understand).

So naturally my dislike of him returned and was intensified. I wanted nothing to do with him, and when Rodrick brought him around, I was far away. Eventually, Taylor, and along with him, Rodrick, stopped showing up. I didn't see either of them. But I chalked it up to Ramadan ending. You know how some people act like the Masjid only exists in Ramadan. So yeah.

But the next Ramadan, no sign of Rodrick. I'd see his little brother, but not him. Same for next year. Fast forward to present times, and I'm friends with Salim, who- again, Allah is the True Judge of people's hearts, we can only speak to what is apparent outwardly- seems to be far more practicing than Rodrick. 

So I'm hanging out with Salim and Rodrick's brother is there, now grown up a bit. So he sits with us and we're chatting and such and Rodrick's name comes up in conversation and Salim is just huffing in annoyance. After the little brother leaves, I questioned Salim about his attitude towards Rodrick and he's reluctant but says he doesn't like him and he's not a very good person.

So I'm trying to advise him, don't judge, you know, he may not be in the Masjid anymore but we don't know what deeds he may be doing or what he's up to. Telling him that just because we're in thobes and turbans and Rodrick was in skinny jeans (ugh.... lemme say it for you all, UGH!) doesn't automatically mean we're better Muslims or anything.

Then Salim says "him not being a Muslim does..."

And I was speechless. I took a minute before I even asked what he meant and if he knew for sure. He said Rodrick was a kaafir and a desperate emo woe-is-me rebel-wannabe. Now, I knew Rodrick had the long hair, and the black jeans and band t-shirts, so the emo scene thing wasn't too unbelievable. And by age, I guess maybe he could still be having some leftover feelings from being an angsty teen with parent problems lol.

But a kaafir? No, no, no.

So I told Salim to be careful of accusing people, because if you're just judging and saying it of your own and you turn out to be wrong, it could come back on you. I told him it's risky territory labeling people as kaafirs and such just because they're not as practicing as you.

Then he says, "you think I don't know my own cousin."

Aaaaaaaand that brings more shock. These two and their families look absolutely nothing alike. Their last names are different. They just.... like HOW?! They really looked nothing a like. Rodrick was tall and bony with long hair. Salim is stocky and bearded with short hair. Their facial features are way different. Salim has more features prominent to his nationality (not gonna say it) and Rodrick...idk where he looks like he's from lol. 

Anyways so I asked in disbelief if they were actually cousins or just family friends with the whole "uncle" "aunty" thing out of respect. Nope. Blood cousins. 

And Salim had to be a witness to his cousin getting influenced by....who else but freakn Taylor! 

In the period of his absence from the Masjid, Rodrick wouldn't listen to Salim, who at the time was himself becoming more practicing and trying to set himself right in regards to deen. Apparently they don't speak anymore, well....can't since Rodrick also ran away from home.....to go be an atheist...with his buddy Taylor.

Apparently, in that time that he was bringing Taylor to the Masjid, it wasn't him who was influencing Taylor. Taylor was influencing him. Away from his deen, away from his parents, away from anything good. His parents didn't know how to deal with him. Culture stuff led them to the WRONG reactions (this is what happens when you confuse culture with religion or choose it over Islam). And he began doubting everything and Taylor, like the horrible friend that he is, started feeding those doubts and bringing him more confusion and depression.

So yeah, Taylor, the evil little.... led him out of Islam with his whispers. And it started in Ramadan too. I guess when the real Shaytan is locked up, he still has helpers on the loose, eh? 

Anyways, to conclude, my point is basically be careful who you choose as friends. No matter how strong of a personality you both have, one of you will influence the other in some way or another. Either you're being influenced, or your influencing others. So make sure you choose good company and make absolutely sure that you ARE  good company! Worst thing would be to find yourself responsible for someone else's sins and trouble. 

Oh shoot, I totally just remembered a fourth person who used to hang with us and do parkour lol. We'll call him Q. I kinda forgot him a bit because he wasn't as prominent as everyone else. He was really reserved because of some...personal issues.... and he eventually disappeared too. Don't worry, he didn't go become an atheist or anything like that, I still have him on facebook. Checked on him lol, he's doing alright, leading an Islamic group and hosting Islamic events, Alhamdulillah.

Anyways, thanks for reading, until next time

As-Salaamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

-Le_Muslim_Man