A Good Muslim

I saw on the news that the idea of profiling Muslims has been raised again. This begs the question: What is a Muslim? Is a Muslim someone with brown skin? A big beard or a hijab? Is a Muslim a foreigner? Someone who speaks Arabic or Urdu? Someone who has a Muslim name?

All these are just the outward appearances. The superficial.


There is only one definition for Muslim in my opinion and that is someone who is a good human being.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَشكالِكُمْ (او أَمْوَالِكُمْ) وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ
"God doesn’t look at your forms & appearances (or wealth)*, but at your hearts & actions."
النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم- قال: ما من شيء أثقل في الميزان من حسن الخلق
"There is nothing heavier in the scales than good character."
إن من خياركم أحسنكم أخلاقاً
"The best of you is best in upright character"
استفتِ قلبك، البر ما اطمأنت إليه النفس، واطمأن إليه القلب، والإثم ما حاك في النفس، وتردد في الصدر، ولو أفتاك الناس وافتوك
"Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels at ease and the heart feels tranquil. And wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the breast, even though people have repeatedly given their legal opinion [in its favour].'"
To me a good Muslim is a good human being full stop. He or she could be anyone of any race and any religion and any nationality. I'm going to relate a story about a good human being who I consider the essence of being a good Muslim, yet he was a Dutch Christian.
In 1943, Grijpskerk was a sleepy,  Dutch countryside village of few inhabitants. There was one synagogue, built in 1879, that served only seven Jews – the entire population in that town and the neighboring village of Grootegast at the time.
Hendrik Drogt was serving in the village as an officer in the Dutch Military Police. He was young, the village was small, and aside from the oppression of Holland being under German occupation, he was likely happy in his post in this otherwise idyllic town.In the spring of that year, things changed. He and several of his fellow officers – 11 to be exact – were ordered by the Nazis to round up the Jews living in and around the two villages.
At first, all of the officers tried to stall the Nazis. They told them stories of an epidemic in the town and even enlisted the help of a doctor who backed up their story. Unfortunately, and as you might expect, the Nazis did not care. They divided the officers up and started pressuring them to cave in and obey orders. They threatened the officers that if they would not send the Jews to the concentration camps, they would be sent there themselves. The men remained steadfast, not giving in despite the many offers of leniency and even release if they changed their minds.
All but Hendrik were arrested and sent to concentration camps. One, Dirk Boonstra, died at Dachau. Hendrik had escaped the Nazis two days before they were supposed to fulfill the command to arrest the Jews and had gone into hiding. The Nazis were unable to find him.
He went to the town of Meppel and found the Dutch Resistance’s local underground cell. He became a member and participated in armed resistance, theft of food coupons, and of blank ID cards. Hendrick also hid Jewish families and moved them under cover of darkness from one hiding place to another.
Not only did he assist in saving the lives of Jews in Holland, he also saved the lives Allied pilots that had been shot down. He helped them in the same way as he helped the Jews – at night – so that they could escape to Britain. The Gestapo trapped Henrick and others in the resistance in August of 1943. He went to trial and was executed the following April. He was only 24 years old.
He wrote to his family, including his fiancée and their unborn son, on the night preceding his execution:
“It is terrible that we have to part from all those who are dear to us in this way . . . I always had hope that I could be with you for one more time, but the Lord wanted differently . . .”
It is not easy to find information about this great hero.  Yet humanity is greatly served by people like Hendrik Drogt who took a stand with integrity and compassion for his fellow human beings and we should continually remind ourselves that this is what being a good Muslim is all about.
Shams al-Deen Tabrizi, who was the teacher to the great Sufi poet Rumi, said:
"Don't judge people regarding the way they connect with God, for everyone has their own way to connect with their creator. Know that it is not your prayers nor your rituals that bring you closer to God but it is your pure hearts full of mercy that bring you closer to him."