an-Nasīhah/Chaplaincy has truly been a Barakah/Blessing for my Danawī/Mundane-Existence. It’s a Profession which has empowered me to help my Fellow-Man, in Ways I’d never be capable to fathom prior to becoming a Nāsih/Chaplain. Allah has pattern my Life in such a Way: I literally have a Career which pays me to be Muslim. Furthermore, there’s 0-Doubt that I’m the Best my Profession has ever produced. My Proof is what I’ve directly been told via my 1st Chaplaincy-Training Supervisor. That-Person is `Abdus-Salām Mūsā. `Abd-us-Salām Mūsā had been doing Chaplaincy prior to me being a Muslim…prior to my very Birth. They’re the Human-Reason how/why I know anything about CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). This Same-Person has told me, to my Face, Word4Word, that I’m the Best there is as per Professional-Chplaincy. And, `Abd-us-Salām Mūsā is the Best-Chaplain.
I’m going to detail 4 Specific-Things via my Lifetime, which turned-out to be most empowering to me personally. It truly refined my Sense of Maslahah/Purpose in the World, as well as what exactly I’m here for (aside from worshipping Allah exclusively).
My Most-Touching ICNACon-Stories
Chaplaincy-Stages
Saturday-Nite going into Sunday-Morning during ICNACon2023 in Baltimore, MD: something extraordinary occured to me. It happened in a Way I really didn’t expect, and equally had a Profound-Effect as per how meaningful I truly am to Other-People. The Following-Engagement truly exemplified the Magnitude of my Influence via my Work.
Sunday-Morning…the Last-Day of ICNACon2023: ironically I was literally on my Way to leave the Baltimore Convention Center & then This-Engagement took place.
These 2 Seperate-But-Equal Scenarios reminds me, that Allah has placed in me something completely unique to me. No one else is capable/able to reach Others the Same-Way I can. No one else can convey Concepts, Ideas, etc. like I can. And, by default that makes me Special. With there being Billions of Humans, literally spanning the Entirety of Human-History, it’s easy to feel like a Nobody. It takes 0-Effort for anyone to look at a Notable-Figure, Speaker, Celebrity, “Influencer”, etc. & think to themselves “How/why isn’t that my Life?!!!”. Yet, ironically, at the Same-Time: being in the Limelight & making a Positive-Difference are Mutually-Exclusive. And, I can honestly say: the Moments I’ve recalled via ICNACon, while I myself was simply operating as a Regular-Attendee: to Speaking-Engagements, no Events I facilitated, etc. but to have the Impact that I have…I wouldn’t trade-in those Experiences for any Speaking-Event, Panel-Discussion, Session-Event, etc.
Resisting the Fearful-Pressure of Leadership
I had a Worthwhile-Convo, with a Good Muslim-Friend of mine. We were discussing the Greater-Responsibility everyone in our Same-Circle has to step-up to the Plate & be True-Embassadors of Conveyors of Islāmic-Academia. We discussed the Difficulties/Challenges in having such a Maqām in lieu of the “Minbar-Star” Mythos, the “Muslim-Celebrity” Nostalgia, the “Celebrity-Shaykh” Culture, etc. that greatly & severely plagues the Muslim-World.
The Aforementioned are Highly-Contageous Religio-Social Viruses. And, these Religio-Social Diseases have had potentially Irreversable-Consequences. In spite of Those-Facts, however, the Helm of Islāmic-Academia/Scholarship has to be championed by someone. But, the Real-Question is how/why are there so many Wrong-People in Position, while too many Capable-Persons aren’t given Lanes, Platforms, etc. necessary to acquire Space/Place within the Arena of Islāmic-Academia.
I’ve literally had Certain-Persons: Speakers, Personalities, A’immah/Leaders, Shuyūkh/Teachers, Tullāb/Students, Du`āt/Promoters, etc. who’ve told me (Word4Word) that I’m the Person they can’t be. They’ve literally told me (Word4Word), that they agree with what I present, stand for, convey, etc. But, they’re afraid of being ostracized, alienated, etc. for publicly agreeing with what I state, post, write, etc. So, upon that…it’s easy to see how/why Certain-Persons absolutely don’t even want Position. Having that Kind/Type of Respondibility over Others is highly stressful, to say the least. And, that’s precisely how/why Muhammad (Peace be upon them) stated: “Whomever is made a Qādhī (Judge/Ruler) between People, they’ve been slaughtered without even Weaponry.”.
(Abū-Dāwud, ibn-Mājah)
As them & I continued the Convo, they stated something positive yet shockingly unexpected: “Don’t disconnect from the Brothers who love you. You’ve always been our Teacher.”. That was difficult to receive, because the Person whom stated it: I personally regard them as a Person-Of-Knowledge themselves. So, for them to have that to say about me is honestly very humbling.
It was a Tadhkirah/Reminder that I actually mean more to People than I actually take/make the Time to recognize/accept. The Positive-Effects which I’ve had on those whom I detailed mean more to me than if I spoke at Events/Sessions All-3 Days of the ICNACon, or at any other Speaking-Venue. It reminded me that regardless of whether or not I’ve got a “Big-Name”, regardless of whether or not I’m deemed as “Marketable”, regardless of whether or not I’m viewed as “Controversial”, etc.: my Presence really matters to Others, because my Work really maters to Countless-People. And that Awareness is 💯%-Priceless.
Gareth Bryant
Gareth Bryant 