Comfort Zone

Assalamualaikum.

You who read this, what does it mean to you to be in a comfort zone?

Does it mean to gather with your best friends in the usual hang-out ports?

Rolling yourself in a blanket, lie down on a bed and being engrossed in a novel?

If you are a student, comfort zone = eat, study, sleep, avoiding club activities?

If you are a worker, comfort zone = eat, work, sleep, television time for weekends?

Picture from here.

Everyone loves their comfort zones, being in a state of less anxiety and being truly themselves. And I agree that it is important for us to have a little time and space on our own. However, often we feel reluctant to step out of this zone and ended up spending too much time being comfortable.

How do we relate this to being a Muslim?

Once we become a Muslim, one of our responsibilities is to reach out. To do dakwah.

People who won’t take off their shoes to step on the grass bare-footed because they think it is unhygienic, they cannot claim their love to nature is unconditional. Similarly, staying at home, keeping your knowledge on Islam from the rest does not justify your claim “Islam is my ad-deen”.

Nevertheless once you started doing dakwah that does not mean you can brag about how you have gone out of your comfort zone. Take a look at the people whom you approached. Are they already ‘angels’? Have you only been choosing people who already have a good understanding of Islam? Did you leave others with unstable background, those with ‘too un-Islamic’ lifestyle perhaps? Have you ever thought of approaching the non-Muslims? If yes, how far do you reach out?

These questions are to be answered by every Muslim regardless of your backgrounds. A good Muslim does not make his faith invisible to the society, but instead radiates the nuur(Light) of the Deen, far reaching the deserted hearts of humankind. And to be able to do this, get out of your comfort zones! The solutions are out there therefore it is up to us to decide whether we are ready to be the hands that give instead of taking.

Never think that it would be easier for you to do dakwah if you are to study in an Islamic university. If Allah choose you to be where you are, there are reasons behind it. Let’s just stop looking so hard for our comfort zones and stop staying away from the reality. Ultimately, we do not know where we are heading after this. One thing for sure, the journey is never comfortable all the way through but the beauty of Islam has to be spread.

One last question, do you agree if I say comfort zone is the new term for ignorance?

Picture from here.

Editor: Dayang Zainab binti Awang Hambali

Academic and Tarbiyyah Bureau 2012/ 2013

Muslim Society (MSOC)

International Medical University (IMU) Bukit Jalil.