To Celebrate or not to Celebrate–That is the Question!

February 23, 2010

by Asma bint Shameem

Some of us celebrate it with great devotion and diligence, while some of us are against it with an equally great vengeance. Some say it is our religious duty while others say it is nothing but bid’ah.

People argue about it. Families split up, friends forsake each other. And sometimes people literally fight over it and hurt one another.

So what is it that I am talking about?

I am talking about celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), the Mawlid or Milad, as some of us say.

Yes, the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal came and went. But, ever wondered…. . what is the reality regarding the celebration of the birth of our beloved Prophet anyway?

Let’s examine the facts.

First of all, whenever a Muslim is faced with a problem or confusing situation, what are we supposed to do? Allaah tells us:

“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination” [Nisaa’:59]

Referring it to Allaah and His Messenger means to turn to Allaah’s Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam).

1. What does the Qur’aan say about the Mawlid?

Nothing. Yes that’s right…..NOTHING.  There is absolutely nothing in the Quraan that tells us to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam). Not one single ayah.

You see, all acts of worship are tawqeefi which means that they are not subject to personal opinion and it is not permissible to do any acts of worship except those which are approved by Shareeah.  So, for example, I cannot pick a special day or time, say the 22nd of every month, and start celebrating that day as a form of worship.

Why?  Because there is nothing in the Shareeah that permits me to do that. Read the rest of this entry »


Islam and Sexual Repression

January 18, 2010

The real meaning of repression

Western psychologists accuse religion of repressing the vital energy of man and rendering his life quite miserable as a result of the sense of guilt which especially obsesses the religious people and makes them imagine that all their actions are sinful and can only be expiated through abstention from enjoying the pleasures of life. Those psychologists add that Europe lived in the darkness of ignorance as long as it adhered to its religion but once it freed itself from the fetters of religion, its emotions were liberated and accord ingly it achieved wonders in the field of production.

Such psychologists often say: Do you want us to return to religion? Do you want to fetter the emotions which, we the pro­gressives, have set free? Do you want to embitter the lives of the youth by incessantly reminding them of what is right and wrong?

Let the Europeans say whatever they like about their religion. Whether we believe it or not makes little difference at present because we are not concerned with religion in general: we are discussing Islam.

Before discussing whether or not Islam represses the vital energy we should define the meaning of repression which has been mis understood and misapplied by both the “cultured” and the half- educated.

Repression is not the result of abstention from performing the instinctive act. It is the result of believing that the instinctive act is dirty, and of refusing to admit to oneself that such a motive may come to one’s mind or engage one’s thinking. In this sense repression becomes an unconscious feeling which may not be cured by performing the instinctive act. He who performs the instinctive act but believes that he is committing a degrading and dirty act is a person who suffers from repression, though he may commit such an act twenty times a day. Every time he commits such an act, there shall ensue a conflict within his psyche between what he has done and what he ought to have done. It is this conscious and unconscious conflict which gives birth to complexes and psychological disorders. Read the rest of this entry »


THE REAL EFFECT OF WEARING HIJAB:LIBERATION

November 13, 2009

Hijab is a ‘challenge to the political system’

simple full cover hijab

 

 

While Hijab may have political implications, as evident in the banning of Hijab in certain countries, Muslim women who choose to practice Hijab are not doing it to challenge the political system. Islam encourages men and women to observe modesty in private and public life. Hijab is an individual’s act of faith and religious expression.
I am liberated from slavery to ‘physical perfection’
Society makes women desire to become ‘perfect objects’. The multitudes of alluring fashion magazines and cosmetic surgeries show women’s enslavement to beauty. The entertainment industry pressures teens to believe that for clothes, less is better. When we wear Hijab, we vow to liberate ourselves from such desires and serve only God.

I don’t let others judge me by my hair and curves!
In schools and professional environments, women are often judged by their looks or bodies-characteristics they neither chose nor created. Hijab forces society to judge women for their value as human beings, with intellect, principles, and feelings. A woman in Hijab sends a message, “Deal with my brain, not my body!”

I feel empowered and confident
In contrast to today’s teenage culture, where anorexia and suicide are on the rise, as women attempt to reach an unattainable ideal of beauty, Hijab frees a woman from the pressure to ‘fit in’. She does not have to worry about wearing the right kind of jeans or the right shade of eyeshadow. She can feel secure about her appearance because she cares to please only Allah.

I feel the bond of unity
Hijab identifies us as Muslims and encourages other Muslim sisters to greet us with the salutation of peace, “Assalamu Alaikum”. Hijab draws others to us and immerses us in good company.
In some Arabic-speaking countries and Western countries, the word hijab primarily refers to women’s head and body covering, but in Islamic scholarship, hijab is given the wider meaning of modesty, privacy, and morality. The word used in the Qur’an for a headscarf or veil is khimār.
‘Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves)
a calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad) That is most convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’
(Qur’an 33:58-59)

Proper Hijab means loose and opaque clothes. Clothes should not be alluring or similar to the clothing of men. What about guys? Islam outlines a modest dress code for men and women. The requirements are different based on the obvious physiological and psychological differences between the two genders.

Hijab does not apply only to clothes. It is a state of mind, behaviour, and lifestyle. Hijab celebrates a desirable quality called Haya (modesty), a deep concern for preserving one’s dignity. Haya is a natural feeling that brings us pain at the very idea of committing a wrong..

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said:
“Every religion has a distinct call. For Islam it is Haya (modesty).”

Since nothing but what is apparent may be shown (i.e. hands and face) the garment must be thick enough so that we cannot see the color of the skin it covers or the shape of the body. Once the Prophet (pbuh) saw Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, visiting Aishah while Asma was wearing a dress that was not thick enough. He turned his face away in anger and said:
“If the woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen, but this,” and he pointed to his face and his hands. Another time when the Prophet (pbuh) saw a bride wearing a thin dress, he said, “She is not a woman who believes in Surat-un Nur who wears this.” He also described the future condition of the Ummah which would be straying from the injunction of the Islamic dress code. “In later (generations) of my Ummah there will be women who will be dressed but naked on top of heads (what looks)like camel humps. Curse them for they am truly cursed.


Is Jesus God?

February 18, 2009

 

<< Numbers 23:19 >>

 

 

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

King James Bible
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

 

 

 

<< Isaiah 44:8 >>

 

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”King James Bible
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

 

 

Isaiah 43:10 (King James Version)

 

 10Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Read the rest of this entry »


WAS ISLAM SPREAD BY THE SWORD?

February 17, 2009

The rapid and extensive spread of Islam is among the facts about this religion that was, and still is, a subject of distortion by both Muslims and non-Muslims. One of the widely circulated myths in the media, especially now-a-days, is the myth that Islam was spread by the sword! In the global cultural and political atmosphere, after the events of September 11, Islam was portrayed to the world as a religion of terrorism and that it had spread through its campaign of “holy jihad”; in other words “holy terrorism”! These allegations are religiously and historically groundless. 

Religiously, one of the explicit concepts in Islam is that there is no compulsion in religion:

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.

Surah 2 Verse 256

The other fact is that Islam never declared the concept of converting others into the faith as part of the Muslims’ duties. On the contrary, Islam limited the Muslims’ duties in this respect to the balagh (conveyance):

If then they turn away, We have not sent thee as a guard over them. Thy duty is but to convey (the Message). …

Surah 42 Verse 48

In addition, Islam does not hold Muslims responsible for the deeds of the other nations:

Say: “Ye shall not be questioned as to our sins, nor shall we be questioned as to what ye do.”

Surah 34 Verse 25

 

Thus, religiously there is no need for Muslims to force others to embrace Islam! 
Historically, there is no evidence to sustain the allegation that Islam was spread by the sword. On the contrary, countless evidence shows the opposite. Rationally, it was evident that the expansion of Islam was neither due to the power nor the number of Muslims. Within the first hundred years of Islam, it covered the largest area of the then-known world, whereas the other two powers failed in spreading their religions into the same areas – the Romans (Christianity) and the Persians (Zoroastrianism). 

History shows that non-Muslim minorities lived peacefully in the Muslim world under Muslim rulers. Their rights were preserved and they had full freedom to practice their religion. In many regions they also played an active political,economic and cultural/intellectual role within the Islamic civilization. These religious minorities existed with their churches and synagogues in the Muslim world throughout 1400 years of Islam being the ruling doctrine, and they still exist up until today. In contrast, the Christians in Spain abolished all the rights of Muslims during the period of the Inquisition. Muslims as well as Jews at that time were expelled out of Spain, forced to convert into Christianity, or physically eliminated! Read the rest of this entry »