The Almighty and His Servant

Michael Jackson is dead. Although I ordinarily wouldn’t blog about the death of a celebrity, there is something extraordinary about the life and times of this particular Jackson that seems to make it worth writing about.

How strange that just a couple months before his passing the internet was flooded with blogs and news outlets talking about his conversion to Islam. I recall bringing up the subject with a group of friends some of whom felt his presence was not welcome amongst people of our faith, others of whom embraced the idea with just as much passion as they did his music.

In the end it didn’t really matter whether they were right or wrong–all indications do point towards the fact that Michael did not in fact convert to Islam, though Allah (SWT) knows best–but it is that rift in perspectives that I do strangely so now find myself compelled to discuss.

Michael Jackson may have lived the life of an ordinary child star, whose shot to fame did little to jar an otherwise humble outlook on life. He may have been the valiant people’s servant, who ordered tons of pizzas to feed the homeless while on a stay in London. And he may have been the children-focused entertainer, whose amusement styled ranch many a happy child could call home.

Or MJ could have been the child molester many tabloids and several now wealthy children asserted him to be. A reckless spender who put no emphasis towards being fiscally responsible. Or even a careless citizen, with precious little regard for our legal system.

Whatever and whoever Michael “Jo” Jackson once was, the man he is before Allah (SWT) now is known only to him and his Creator. Had MJ converted to Islam as rumors suggested, his past sins and errors would have been blanketed out inshAllah. This is irrespetctive of what those sins were, for where no sin can be as great as disbelief, it is a testament to the infinite mercy of Our Lord (SWT) that even these sins are flushed clean where not repeated.

As Muslims the lessons we can take from the life and times of the King of Pop are limited. But perhaps, as Muslims, it will be in his death, and not in his life, that we can finally learn some of the most important lessons of all.

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