Muslims for Loyalty: Understanding the true meaning of the Fourth of July

..[D]during Prophet Mohammed's Farewell Sermon, he stated, "All of you are equal. All men, to whatever nation or tribe they may belong and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. Even the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Journal Sentinel | Milwaukee, WI
By Ahmed Khan | June 30, 2011

My fondest memory of the Fourth of July is of my family sitting on a grassy hill with many other eager tourists near Niagara Falls. I was 10 years old at the time and had only a vague understanding of the holiday. I was simply excited that I would see fireworks.

Many years since, I have acquired a better understanding as a Muslim-American of the significance of July 4. Last year, I had the privilege of visiting Monticello, which President Thomas Jefferson once referred to as his "essay in architecture."

Along with my best friend, Rohaan, a convert to Islam, we found it interesting that Jefferson read the Qur'an even though he was not a Muslim. It represented the progressiveness that underlined the Declaration of Independence.


In our guided tour of Monticello, we were told that the Declaration of Independence is a unique document because many have tried to emulate its pronouncement of complete equality but have not come close.

I thought that when Jefferson penned the words "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain Unalienable rights," he knew that in a just nation equality has to be innately recognized.

This made sense to me because during Prophet Mohammed's Farewell Sermon, he stated, "All of you are equal. All men, to whatever nation or tribe they may belong and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. Even the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another."

During our long ride back from Monticello, I found comfort in the words of Jefferson and Mohammed because they made me realize that there is no conflict between my faith and nationality.

Jefferson, while a deist, found great value in reading the Qur'an, and the Library of Congress preserves his personal copy. I can only assume he, too, found comfort in its words of equality of men and women, culture, race, creed and color (Qur'an 49:14). It reiterated his idea that a just nation requires recognizing everyone's differences.

Looking back on that childhood evening near Niagara Falls, I can say that I have acquired a good understanding about this holiday - and why we celebrate it with fireworks. It is to appreciate the ideal of equality that this nation works toward and that people of every background can live together.

Ahmed Khan of Oshkosh is a member of the Muslim Writers Guild of America.

Read original post here: Understanding the true meaning of the Fourth of July