Archery Club. Hiking Club. Debate Club. The different kinda of clubs you’ll find in university are endless. The endless amount of clubs, coupled with constantly being told to “get involved,” it seems that it’s only inevitable until you join a club or even just attend a club meeting to see what the buzz is about. I remember in my first two weeks of university, I was overwhelmed with the various kinds of clubs being offered. I decided on checking out a couple of them for sure, but there was one that was there in the back of my mind constantly: the Muslim Student Association (MSA). This was a club I knew I wanted to join for sure.
In the midst of a university setting, where you generally seem to fit it in, there is always that little voice saying “you’re different.” Especially when you’re sitting in a classroom of a couple hundred students, yet you find that you are the only hijabi in the room. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the Prophet (SAW) said, “Give glad tidings to the strangers” [Sahih Muslim]. However, we all need that one place where we can truly be ourselves….Isn’t that what clubs are all about, being your true self? So yes, while I may find that people in other clubs may share the same interest as me, there is only one club that will really allow me to be my true self: the MSA.
If you find that you do not have enough time for the MSA or another club seems to be more appealing to you; I hope that these few reasons can convince you why, as a Muslim, the best club to join is the MSA.
- You and the members all have a common goal: To please Allah (SWT).
- The MSA will deem positive results for you in the dunya and akhirah.
- In these current times, the Ummah needs united groups like the MSA to keep them together.
- Being part of the MSA will serve as a constant reminder of Allah SWT, and inshaAllah increase you taqwah.
- You will be in the company of fellow Muslims, who could end up becoming your friends.
If there is not a MSA in place at your university, you could always be the one to start it. Consider the long lasting impact such a group could have, that is based off of an initiative you decided to take. In fact, there have been Muslim students who have even take the initiative at a younger age and started an MSA in the their high school. Recall that Allah (SWT) has told us in the Quran,
“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided…” [3:103].
And so, we should make decisions in our life, like joining the MSA, that will ultimately lead to us becoming more united within the Ummah.
