More #%^$%^&**(^$
I began posting a reply to the comments on my last post, and realized that what I want to say hold better go on the main blog.
I totally understand where Khizzy comes from when she says she stops "because i realize that my questions would be justified, IF i had read the Quran by translation and not found the answers".
I get scared to ask questions sometimes too ... and believe me, for some things I have questioned, my reading the Quran translations has totally led me away from what we normally practise.
"Dont ruin ur faith babe!" she says and I totally agree, which is why I question things now. Being Pakistanis (as i assume most readers of my blog are), who knows better than us how attached us pakis can get to 'culture' and 'custom' ... so much so that it even seeps it's way into religious practises and somewhere down the road, we take these 'customs' as 'religious duties'.
I don't want this to become a religous blog, but I just want to say that I am a very religious person and that not all religious people are covered in hijaab.
Infact, 'hijab' is among the couple of things that I started questioning recently. Is our local version of hijab a religious obligation or a choice?
There are just three verses in the Quran that give instructions on what women should wear:
(7:26) O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of GOD's signs, that they may take heed.
(33:59) O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers that they shall lengthen their garments. Thus, they will be recognized (as righteous women) and avoid being insulted. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
(24:31) And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their bosoms, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to reveal their adornment. All of you shall repent to GOD, O you believers, that you may succeed.
I seriously question how this means I need to cover my head and wear an abayah to be a good muslimah.
Next, I had my questions about halal meat. I wondered why, if meat has been hygenically prepared, is it not permissable to eat any animal that is not zabiha? It sure makes life miserable for Muslims in the West, and isn't Islam supposed to NOT be a religion of hardship?
Well, surprise surprise, I found NO reference in the Quran to eating only that meat which has been slaughtered in the name of Allah.
(6:118) You shall eat from that upon which GOD's name has been pronounced, if you truly believe in His revelations.
So, if I say Bismaillah before eating kosher meat, the above ayah assures me it's alright. Also ...
(5:5) Today, all good food is made lawful for you. The food of the people of the scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. Also, you may marry the chaste women among the believers, as well as the chaste women among the followers of previous scripture, provided you pay them their due dowries. You shall maintain chastity, not committing adultery, nor taking secret lovers. Anyone who rejects faith, all his work will be in vain, and in the Hereafter he will be with the losers.
Seeing as the majority of people in Europe are Christians (people of scripture) and food produced there is fit for their consumption, then why can't I eat it? If so many muslim men insist on reminding us they they can marry a 'gori maim' as the Quran allows it (as it does in the above ayah), then why is the first part of that Ayah corrupted from our minds?
And the list goes on. If more people read up on things they had doubts about - instead of being scared of damaging their faith - then maybe we might be able to get out of the trivial disputes of 'how short a skirt' and 'how long a beard'.
As I said, there are only three ayah that talk about dresscode. There are nearly 55 about charity. What do you see the moderm muslim arguing more about? What's the bone of contention of many fanatics on a daily basis? Let me give you a hint: it's not how much more money should be given to our poorer brothers.
When exactly did Islam become more about the petty issues (you can't say your namaz if you are wearing nailpolish) and less about being a better human being on the whole?
posted by bakpakchik @ 9:15 PM
13 Comments:
:)
like i told u, im no authority to comment now that uve stated facts!
nice follow up!
was called for.
bye u!
Couldnt agree more. We are just too lost in trivialities and tradition.
In addition, people should understand that many commandments are there for a purpose. Its important to understand the purpose of an order rather than follow it blindly. After all, its our faith. If we dont understand it, who will?
Once again, great post bpc.
hey u! salaams babes! i've got tons to write so fasten your seat belt! plz dont consider this a lecture being shoved down your throat, its just my explanation and ofcourse, you have the right to disagree.
for the longest time, my husband and i've been struggling to filter out culture from our lives. We came to a point in our life where we found ppl using religion to be a means of justifiying everything weird in their lives. I'm not one of those ppl who goes on abt hindus (or jews in the west) blah blah.
one thing that we need to establish is that the islam is based on two things i.e. 1. quran, 2. sunnah. The quran mentions almost 37 times to obey Allah and His messenger (The words are often to the meaning of: 'Attiallaha wa 'Attia Rasool). The prophet in his last sermon mentioned "I am leaving behind two things, The Quran and my sunnah,, which if you follow, you will not be misguided".
What is the importance of sunnah? the common response is: Allah subhana wa ta'ala mentions in the Quran to pray, but the method is derived from the sunnah. Friday prayers are mentioned just ONCE in the entire quran and that too to emphasize to leave your businesses and visiting tribes (tribes travelled by and ppl would leave their prayers to sell their merchandise) when the call for prayer is made. Dhuhr prayers are usually 4 rakahs but during jum'ah they are 2 rakahs. No one questioned these things because the Prophet alayissalaam was taught by angel gabriel and people accepted these things to the be the appropriate way of life. moreover, we've been told to pray and pay zakat enough times in the quran. i can think of 7 ayahs right now, and im sure there are definitely tons more. but we've never been taught how to pray in the quran. likewise, we've never been taught how to cover in the quran. From the sunnah of the prophet pbuh, we hear of Asma (sister of khadeeja rad or ayesha rad - im not too sure at this moment) visiting the prophet. the prophet lowered his gaze and told her that when a woman crosses puberty, she is to cover herself except for the hands and the face in the presence of non mehram men. Moreover, when she leaves her house, she is to draw a veil over herself - something that is loose and not provocative. The niqabs that we see today in pakistan and india, they're not what the wives of the prophet did... the wives of the prophet were commanded to lower their headgarment to cover their faces (almost like ghoongat of a dulhan). niqabs were ruling only for the wives of the prophet and not for us. kudos to the women who wish to embrace the example of the wives of the prophet, however i havent been able to totally comprehend it yet.
as far as meat is concerned. Allah swt has made special for us zabiha meat. ill reer u to to surah maidah which is the 5th surah and i think the 2nd or the 3rd verse talks about us not being allowed to eat meat on which a name other than Allah's has been pronounced. Scholars have two different opinions in the matter of eating ahle kitab food. one group says that we're allowed to eat at ahle kitab but not their meat because of the verse in surah maidah which overpowers the verse abt eating at kosher. i am of the second opinion which is that if Allah swt has specifically allowed EATING at ahle kitab, theres nothing wrong with it. my only criteria is that it has to be certified kosher. i dont eat out everywhere because the rest might be owned by an aetheist or buddhist or natives etc. but when im going abroad, n i dont have zabiha food around, i do buy kosher meat and not feel guilty abt it. but if i ahave zabiha around, my first pref is zabiha coz personally it smells much cleaner to me.
as far as previous post abt ppl doing wudhu with rivers streaming after them. sweetheart dont judge islam by its people. i can find u hundreds of mullahs who oppress their wives, take from the orphan and do other forms of injustices. i believe my religion is for me and theirs is for them. whenever i go to a paki mosque, im soooo turned off but the same spirit is revived when i go to a morroccan or partially arab one. do u know our paki mosque has women coming up to me and saying we cant pray with lights on coz then the men can see them! *grr* as if they walked into the mosque invisible!
i reallly really recommend u learn arabic and understand the quran from its roots rather than the translation. and being in dubai.. ure really lucky where that is concerned!
lastly, you're definitely right abt humanity. altho islam is all abt humanity, i dont find ppl half as compassion. i see sooo much snobbery when i think of pak. the amt of money ppl spend on their weddings etc. the amt they spend ont ehir cltohes is what an ave poor man earns in a lifetime. someone who earns 2-4 thousand ruppees a month.. would probably never even earn a lakh(million) in his lifetime.
i hope ive been of help!
signed off with love!
*~Sheza~*
I do not normally say anything on religion unless asked and that too only when I am a 100% sure of the correct position. However this post has compelled me to write because it goes that one step further (unintentional I am sure) and is at risk of misleading those who do not have knowledge.
God sent Muhammad sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam to all humanity with the universal Covenant, exactly and precisely as Scripture and Jesus prophesied, he was given The Quran, in the Arabic tongue and showed the rest of humanity the benefit of being saved from themselves by adherence to His Law and acceptance of His Designs.
The Law is clear and precise available for all in the Quran and the sunnah. Our (Muslim) characteristic is certainty, not interminable debate that never reaches certainty. The Two paths are clear, one leads us to Allah, the other away from Him.
So when we practice what Allah has commanded, pray, give zakat, go for Hajj when we are able to and sacrifice a goat we are doing it because God has commanded it. Now it may be so that you may learn that there is some benefit in doing what Allah has commanded. Which is good but not the criteria for doing as Allah commanded.
Regarding the post:
Hijab:
The third comment is a good explanation it shows that the Sunnah explains the verses of the Quran and hijab is a part of Islam.
Halal Meat:
Kosher meat is halal and we can eat it. It’s mainly about how the meat is slaughtered and who does it. Christians today can’t be called the “people of the book”, because they no longer practice the scriptures they were taught.
Besides you are supposed to say bismillah before you eat halal food as well.
Sacrificing Goat:
You sacrifice a goat because you are adhering to what Allah has commanded. Question such as “What if he asked to sacrifice our first born” are irrelevant and serve no purpose because He did not ask us to sacrifice our children. What is the intention of asking such questions debate? When the command is clear what is there to argue about.
Hajj Death
Our deaths are written and there is no guarantee of how and where we are supposed to die. The reason people go on Hajj to cleanse their soul, so that when they die they die pure.
2.5 million people in one place moving to and fro there will always be accidents. Speaking ill of people who are dead is also not part of our religion. And using negative terminology for those who went is also not acceptable.
There is no doubt that seeking knowledge is part of our faith. Even the Quran asks the non believers who did not listen to the prophet ‘Why you (non believers) follow what your parents do even though your parents were wrong?’. As Muslims we have always been encouraged to ask questions, I will always encourage those around me to do the same. But when you question your faith and provide answers for others, ensure that your words are not leading others astray. Always rely on The Quran AND Sunnah, they were built hand in hand to guide us to the right path.
O
Wow! Thank you all for your comments. Everything said makes sense in its own way. I'll just wait for more comments ... it's interesting to see so many different POVs.
Arfiman wrote:
Careful, you're slipping ;)
I slip all the time but when writing about religion 'in your dreams' :D
A breif history
Abraham was given the Promise of a Covenant, which would be given to all humanity by a Messenger sent among the children of Isma'il (Ishmael) the Arabs. In addition he was also given a second Promise of a Second Covenant that would precede the first. The Children of Israel were chosen to receive this Second Covenant.
Moses was given that Second Covenant for the children of Israel only. It included a Law for their salvation. They promised to show the nations of mankind the benefit of making a Covenant with God. In return they were told to wait for the "Messiah of Israel", who would show them the way to reach the Messenger of the First Covenant, that Messenger's name, lineage, place, and coming. They further promised that when that Messenger came, they would follow him and aid him, and many of them did just that.
Jesus was that "Messiah of Israel", and he announced the name of the Messenger who would bring the First Covenant promised to all humanity. Yes we are talking about Prophet Muhammad PBUH. He did not bring a new Law or Covenant, but explicitly affirmed that the Mosaic Law and Covenant continued in force for Israel.
Jesus called upon the Children of Israel to spread the Good News among the nations that the long-prophesied Kingdom of God, promised to all of humanity (as that of Moses was only for the Children of Israel), was about to be established.
Paul, (author of the "New Testament") after spending most of his life attempting to suppress the Good News and eliminate Jesus, claimed that Jesus was the Messenger of the First Covenant for all humanity. Merging the two the Messiah of Israel and the Messenger of the Covenant and did NOT announce the name of the Messenger, his lineage, place, or coming.
Instead he spread the lie that Jesus abolished the Law and the Law did not need to be followed, because of Jesus crucifixion. Further stating that Jesus was the Son of God and was himself the means of salvation, with a "new Covenant" nullifying the Mosaic Law entirely and replacing it with the mystery of vicarious atonement by divine incarnation. The doctrine says, essentially, that God commits suicide in order to save mankind. How Pauline Christians believe this is a complete mystery.
Christian follow The Lie, fabricated by the lying pens of the scribes, which has produced a continuing disaster for all humanity. The Dark Ages of Europe proceeded directly from The Lie, but were restricted in their harm only to Europe; but all of the wars of the Twentieth Century proceed also directly from The Lie, and now into the Twenty-First Century as well, while most of humanity remains in the dark about the Good News because of that treason of the leaders of Israel against God.
The real people of the book converted to Islam when Prophet Muhammad pbuh brought the Law of the covenant. Exactly as was written in their Book and confirmed by Jesus pbuh.
Omair
PS Read this its funny and related to our discussion Bismillah It
Wow, I don't check Bakpakchik's blog for one day and all this happens!
Mind you, I'm not sure what I've got to say in response to the various comments people have left, except that I've found them all fascinating.
I would like to allow myself to be drawn into specifics, but I'm afraid lack of time compels me to make my own comments rather general, so I think I'll just say that my personal view is that 'faith' and 'questioning' are not mutually exclusive and that certainty - in this matter and most others - can be dangerous. I would also be interested to find out why O calls St Paul the author of the New Testament, but maybe he and I can have the discussion face to face in a few months... ;-)
yaaaaaaaaaaaaay .. we get to see D :) and LINDA!!!!!
d, I'm already reading up for our discussion.
See you in England soon!
*confused*
Is O. going to england or is D. coming to Dubai?
I didn't know O's coming to England... actually, hang on... I think I did...
I am sorry, I thought of commenting just that the sunnah is as important as the Quran, but now I am confused between the New Testament and the Bible. Perhaps O can explain their relationship to me?
Its been some time since I have read up on this stuff so this is mostly from memory.
Maybe I should be starting a Blog as well.
The New Testament is part of the Bible. It records the words of the Disciples of Jesus pbuh 300 years after him.
Included in the New Testament is the work of Paul (aka Saul) who was NOT a disciple of Jesus pbuh, in fact was against him. This is all recorded history.
His work is where Christianity deviates from the promise of the Covenant and says that that God commits suicide in order to save mankind.
O
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