How to survive an unjust world

By J D

How to survive an unjust world incorporates the foundations of an Islamic approach to justice by quoting the Qur’an and Hadith’s (Narrations of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). It additionally includes foundations of psychological approaches to justice. The disciplines of religion and psychology have been intertwined to empower each individual

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781471681639

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About the author

Janelle is an academic. She has obtained a Degree in Islamic studies, Bachelor's and Honors. Janelle received a dean’s award for her Islamic studies with high distinctions in Arabic. She has studied Psychology, and Mental health, and has a Graduate Certificate of Education. Janelle completed a range of subjects in Masters of Arabic grammar and Basic Arabic conversation. She additionally is a Qualified Behavioural Therapist and is a Writer for the AMUST (Australasian Muslim Times) newspaper. Janelle is also a Martial Artist with a Black Belt in Taekwondo and a Certified Boxer. She teaches online boxing to young girls and women to continue her empowerment mission in making them feel safe, confident, and disciplined. 

How to survive an unjust world incorporates the foundations of an Islamic approach to justice by quoting the Qur’an and Hadith (Narrations of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). It additionally includes foundations of psychological approaches to justice. The disciplines of religion and psychology have been intertwined. 

How to survive an unjust world is written in the author's words. 

To my beautiful angel daughter Aisha. All the times you were in my arms rocking you to sleep making you feel safe and secure I was writing this book. I hope I can make you feel empowered one day and that you help other women and young girls to feel empowered too. You are the director of your own life remember that always. Be responsible, safe, healthy, make good choices, think before acting on something and use Islam to be your guidance. Allah (God) will always protect you, my darling girl. 

What inspired me to write this book were people making me feel that my voice did not matter. Expressing my feelings felt dismissive all the time. I was seen, but not heard. Writing gave me a voice and through that, I was finally heard. 

Chapter 1

Why me? Jen thought. The moment that she entered Islam people’s perception of her changed drastically. She understood why it would change considering that the media has always portrayed Muslims as negative due to events that have occurred in the world and people imagining, that that is what the religion is all about. Jen has always told herself in her mind that why would she change her faith to something that is about oppression or violence. She doesn’t think normal functioning people would do that. ‘Oh my God, Jennifer as if you changed your religion.’ ‘That means you can’t go out with us anymore, oh my God I have to call Tonchy she is not going to believe it.’ 

A few minutes pass and Jen sees Lizzie facetiming Tonchy. At this moment Jen felt like she was being ridiculed. All she heard was Tonchy full laughing her head off when she heard the news, waving her hands in the air, touching her face in disbelief, and yelling ‘Jennifer, babe do you know what Muslims do? They kill people, they're violent what the hell did you just get yourself into.’ Jen could not believe her eyes when she was saying this. Jen was trying to keep her cool and be calm because she knew what Islam was all about. After all, she had studied it. 

She had to tell herself that people that have an opinion such as that, are uneducated or ignorant because they just go by what the media discusses or by what a Muslim person might do which should be based on their behaviour, not who they are portraying themselves as. Jen learned that a person can identify themselves as a particular faith however, it does not mean they are aligning themselves with it in a sincere way. 

 The Qur’an in fact states ‘If you kill a human, it is as if you have killed all of mankind and if you save a person it is as if you have saved all of mankind’ (7:189). 

There is a hadith that states that ‘remember that people are of two kinds; they are either your brothers in religion or brothers in mankind.’

Lizzie was more understanding than Tonchy but then slowly she started to feel the distance from her. The phone calls stopped, the messages slowed down to one-worded texts, and eventually… nothing. Before Lizzie and Tonchy came into Jen’s life, she had a previous best friend well, at least Jen thought she was. They met in high school and managed to stay friends for a short time after they had graduated. Kristina had a massive family and so when it was those warm summer nights Jen would be at her house for barbeques and all. Jen felt as though she was a part of her family as everyone was warm and welcoming. 

Until the day that she had told Kristina she wanted to become a Muslim. ‘ahahahahah your joking, come on Jen do you really want to be abused by men and have your freedom taken away from you.’ ‘Mum!’ shouts Kristina. ‘Can you believe what Jen wants to become, a Muslim mum, a bloody Muslim?’ Kristina’s mum looked Jen up and down with those judgemental eyes all of a sudden which was probably just out of shock and replied ‘you know you can’t shake my hand if you become a Muslim or interact with my family.’ Jen found her eyes blinking so fast and with heavy frustration building up inside her.

Jen was just thinking where on Earth do these people get their information from. She realised again though that they probably have had no good experiences with Muslims themselves. However, there is a massive distinction between what a Muslim person may represent themselves as and what Islam, the religion is. When a person acts not in line with the actual religion, they may show destructive behaviours or have a dominating mentality and people may think it stems from the religion when it actually is just a cultural difference. 

Parker, an older man who seems wise and loves to be open about all religions and seems keen to come to a clearer understanding of Islam asks Jen ‘So, is Islam and Muslim the same thing, because in Afghanistan what they are doing is just quite disturbing.’ In Jen’s mind, she understood the difference so clearly, and then to be able to explain it to Parker was just so incredibly hard. She wanted to explain it in a way where Parker would understand and come to realise that just because someone says they're a Muslim, does not mean that they are acting accordingly to the religion which is Islam. 

‘Well, you see Parker, a Muslim is a person who submits to the religion which is what I have done, and hence I have become a Muslim.’ ‘Islam is the religion which are the teachings of God, who is Allah in Arabic. As you might know, the teachings of God came to an Arab land, as there was a lot of corruption in those lands at that time. Therefore, the teachings of God with the final messenger that came after all the other messenger’s Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to abolish all the evil doings.’ Parker was a good listener and despite Jen explaining all of that to him, he insisted that she look up the JW website, as apparently to him all the signs that are occurring in the world today are what is on the JW website. 

She did not know what JW was until she was a tad curious, and she realised that it was the Jehovah's Witness website. She found it interesting that everyone has their own belief, and everyone is allowed to have their own belief. The Qur’an states ‘there is no compulsion in religion (2:256). Another verse states ‘for you is your religion and for me is my religion.’ (109:1-6.). 

Jonah, a middle-aged Christian man from an Arabic background was quite awesome to speak to about religion, and Jen and he both listened to each other’s belief and respected it. ‘I have mates that are Muslim Jen and one is my best mate and we are really close, but you know he actually told me that Muslims are not allowed to watch tv.’ Jen was beside herself after hearing Jonah express that which came from a Muslim person. ‘Jonah, did he really say that?’ 

‘Look Jonah, every Muslim family is different because that might be part of their own culture however, the religion Islam, which every Muslim or true believer we say is supposed to follow it.’ Jen continued, ‘Nowhere in the religion does it mention that you cannot watch tv.’ ‘I think maybe he could have meant that for example, say you watch something rude and then that influences you to go and do the same thing which might not be moral however, most Muslims who are with Allah (God) will not be influenced by any immoral action they see and they are still able to watch tv, wow that is bizarre how he said that to you.’ 

After having this conversation with Jonah, what made Jen realise something about the young Muslim generation is that they don’t seek to understand their religion, they just go by what they have been brought up with without delving further. However, some are brought up more in a cultural way and this is something that Jen has been wanting to educate people on from all walks of life. Sometimes culture can play a really big part in a person’s community whether their Muslim or not. Their habits can dictate and play a strong role in their life. 

Melhem, who once left a very nasty voicemail on Jen’s phone that said ‘this is Prophet Muhammad, we are looking for Jen who is not from us and must leave.’ ‘Astagfirullah!’ (God forbid) was all Jen could say after hearing that message. What Jen found so ironic, is that there is a pattern in the way that a lot of people who don’t know about Islam think. Their thinking is that Islam is if you don’t do this, then you will be punished. Perhaps in Melhem’s mind, he thought that Jen wasn’t worthy of being a Muslim because before she entered Islam he saw her as someone that partied and had a different lifestyle. Of course, though, people change and people can change to certain things in life that make them better. Islam, for Jen, made her a better version of herself. She did not change herself, but she became a better version of herself in terms of her values. She stopped partying, dressed more appropriately, and felt more respected by others. This made her happy within herself. It was the small changes. Jen became more grateful for the things she had and knew that if anything was to be taken away from her, well, in the end, it doesn’t belong to us anyway. Jen no longer was attached to things because she knew that once it goes she could become very upset and disappointed which is what would happen to her lots of times. Islam in this sense instilled in her being at peace when things were taken from her as they never belonged to her in the first place.

When looking at a big life event such as death, we see that in the end, nobody takes their luxurious goods with them or the people they loved with them. When viewing life in this way, it takes away any arrogance or pride towards anything including things that come and go. 

Brayden is a guy that made you feel that you could