Do Muslims Define Islam — Or Does Islam Define Muslims?

 

During a casual conversation with friends, the topic of music came up. When I said I do not listen to music because it is haram in Islam, the immediate reaction was curiosity. Then came a familiar argument:

“But so many Muslims sing. There are concerts in Muslim countries. Muslim artists make music. If Muslims are doing it everywhere… how can it be wrong?”

This is not just about music. This question exposes a much deeper misunderstanding in the modern Muslim mindset:

Do the actions of Muslims define Islam —
or does Islam define what Muslims should be?

The answer matters. And it requires logic, evidence, and intellectual honesty.

Foundational Principle: Muslims Can Be Wrong — Islam Cannot

Islam does not derive its legitimacy from culture, majority behavior, celebrity influence, politics, or social normalization. Muslims are human beings — capable of mistakes, sin, emotional bias, and societal pressure. Revelation is not.

Allah says, in a statement that intellectually destroys the “majority argument” completely:

“If you obey most of the people on the earth, they will mislead you from the path of Allah.”
— Qur’an 6:116

This one verse alone establishes:

• Majority does not equal truth.

• Widespread practice does not equal correctness.

• Normalization does not equal legitimacy.

So:
If some Muslims drink, alcohol does not become halal.
If some Muslims don’t pray, salah doesn’t become optional.
If some Muslim celebrities normalize haram, it does not transform into good.

Islam doesn’t bend to society.
Society is meant to bend to Islam.

Islam Is Evidence-Based — Not Emotion or Trend-Based

Islam is defined by epistemic authority, meaning legitimate sources of knowledge:

1️⃣ Qur’an — divine revelation
2️⃣ Authentic Hadith — the Prophet ﷺ explaining, demonstrating, and interpreting revelation
3️⃣ Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) — a structured scholarly framework for deriving rulings
4️⃣ Understanding of the Sahaba — people personally taught, corrected, and guided by the Prophet ﷺ

Islam is not:

• “I feel like…”

• “In my opinion…”

• “But society says…”

• “But everyone is doing it…”

Allah condemns religious manipulation explicitly:

“So woe to those who write the scripture with their own hands and then say, ‘This is from Allah.’”
— Qur’an 2:79

And the Prophet ﷺ formally closed the door to religious innovation:

“Whoever introduces into this matter of ours what is not part of it, it is rejected.”
— Bukhari & Muslim

This is academic, absolute, and binding.

 “Times Have Changed — Islam Should Too”

 This argument sounds “modern,” but intellectually it collapses.

Yes, time changes. Technology advances. Cultures evolve.
But truth is not time-bound.

Allah did not reveal a temporary system that expires with fashion trends. He declared:

“Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor upon you.”
— Qur’an 5:3

A perfect religion does not require revision, amendment, or modernization. Islam is designed to be eternally applicable because it is based on divine wisdom, not human subjectivity.

So:

• Legalization does not make haram halal.

• Popularity does not sanctify sin.

• Emotional comfort does not replace divine command. 

Real-World Confusion: Where People Go Wrong

A. When Culture Tries to Dress Like Religion

Across the Muslim world, cultures vary widely:

• mixed-gender cultural dances

• music festivals

• ritual performances

• customs tied to weddings and celebrations

• grave-related practices

But culture ≠ Islam.

Example: Rituals at Graves (A Real Cultural Case Study)

In many regions — particularly the Indian Subcontinent — practices such as:

• placing food before graves

• reciting Qur’an to “transfer” reward

• calling upon saints for help

• believing a dead person can answer duas

are presented as “Islamic traditions.”

Yet, these practices fundamentally contradict Islamic theology.

Allah commands:

“And the masjids are for Allah alone, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah.”
— Qur’an 72:18

The Prophet ﷺ warned against exactly this historical pattern:

“May Allah curse the Jews and Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship.”
— Bukhari & Muslim

When something contradicts Qur’an and Sunnah, no matter how heartfelt, emotional, historic, cultural, or widespread it is:

It is not Islam.
It is cultural religion — exactly what Islam came to correct.

B. When Governments Legalize Haram

Some Muslim governments legalize what Allah prohibited. That does not Islamicize it. A human parliament cannot overrule divine legislation.

Allah gives the rule:

“If you disagree on anything, refer it to Allah and His Messenger.”
— Qur’an 4:59

Meaning:
Political legalization ≠ religious validation.

C. When Celebrities and Influencers Promote Something

Celebrity participation does not constitute Islamic authority.
Fame is not knowledge. Popularity is not piety.

Islam honors truth — not spotlight.

D. When Religious Speakers Make Mistakes

Even scholars can err. But Islam protects truth through scholarly structure — not personality worship.

Our loyalty is not to individuals.
It is to evidence.

Interpretation Is Not Free-For-All

To prevent chaos and “DIY Islam,” Allah preserved scholarly structure. This is why Islam has disciplined jurisprudence (Fiqh).

The four famous schools:

• Hanafi

• Maliki

• Shafi’i

• Hanbali

did not invent Islam. They academically derived law by:

• Qur’an analysis

• Hadith authentication

• consensus principles

• linguistic precision

• contextual understanding

Islam is structured scholarship — not spiritual improvisation.

 Final Truth — Simple but Unbreakable

✔ Muslims can be wrong
✔ Society can normalize wrong
✔ Governments can legalize wrong
✔ Cultures can beautify wrong
✔ Celebrities can glamorize wrong

But Islam itself does not change.

Do not judge Islam by Muslims.
Judge Muslims by Islam.

If you truly want to know what Islam says, do not look at what crowds are doing. Look at:

• Qur’an

• Sunnah

• Authentic Scholars

• The path of the Sahaba

Everything else is noise.