Satan’s droplets

I just scrolled through a trailer for a movie: ‘What’s Love Got to Do with it” by no other than Imran Khan’s ex-wife Jemima. The trailer showed a scene from a ‘mehndi’ party before the wedding. The bride and groom were sitting together surrounded by friends and family. Family of the girl looked conservative, especially the grandmother and the friends were wearing revealing clothes – like you would see in Indian movies. As the grandmother objects to the way they are dressed, they exaggerate her reaction to: ‘I am not staying in this shameless environment’, and the bride tells the groom, ‘ let the dinosaur go’.

This is just one of many movies, shows and books that I have come across where the status quo, cultural norms, religious upbringing is challenged. One would say, ‘well, the grandmother is being irrational! its not her business what anyone wears’, but here is what the problem is:

1. Her reaction stems from religious requirements of the type of gatherings we should be part of and not partake in. Hence setting boundaries is important. When visiting Buckingham palace to visit the monarch, one is told how to dress, how to bow, how to conduct everything. We don’t question it. When going for an interview we know how to dress, even if we wouldn’t be caught dead in a suit and tie type of outfit otherwise. Why is God’s word then taken so lightly?
2. The other reaction shows how the bride is calling her grandmother a dinosaur. Respect for the elder, something most non-western societies have always upheld, is being challenged : What do our elders know? Leave them behind. Let them huff and puff and leave. They are not important. This attitude is dangerous. We think, our own little young in-experienced mind is very intelligent and wisdom, experience and knowledge of elders is unimportant. Forgetting that one day we will be one of those elders and will be shunned in the corner as well. When we are young we are under the illusion our time won’t come.

If we look at how society has changed, we like to called it ‘progression’, we can see the stark changes in values from any given religious text. Satan knows us. If he told our grandparents to take off their covered clothing and wear even sleeveless outfits, even the men would have shunned it. Satan is in no hurry. He will give a small droplet in your life until you finally find it normal and harmful. Just a slight change that makes you feel, ‘what’s the harm in this?’. No apparent harm in a little music. A few late nights laughing with friends of both genders. No harm in a few jokes at the expense of someone. Once in a while some wild fun with friends. What’s the harm in that little fun in context of all the good I do?

Several years later the drop has become a sip, then a few more and then a glass full of harm. Harm to the soul. Harm to a generation. Harm to the way we practice our faith and values.

I remember the time when I saw Harry Potter released, then Hana Montana was the popular show most kids watched. I kept my children away from it but societal pressures of : everyone in their school is talking about it, everyone watches it, its the future how much will you protect them etc etc, eventually led to my weakness. Not because I agreed with anyone. I knew the dangers of wanting ‘more’ than just Hana Montana. You see one ‘harmless’ thing, then want the next one and the next until you are immersed in your glass of droplets. The fault was mine. I did not have the discipline to give them all that was required to homeschool them and keep them in a community of like-minded people. I did not have the means to move to a village or town where it was so much easier to raise kids without the pressures of the world. The fault lies with the adults who do not create the right environment for their next generation.

Our senses given by God will testify on the day of judgement about what we heard, saw, said, did. Yes, they will talk as it says in the Quran by Allah.

So knowing our enemy, his tactics and how he is adamant to get us to do haram (sin), is very important. Mindfulness in what we ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘say’, ‘do’ starts with practicing and learning about our faith, then going on to desiring excellence in the practice and only caring about yourself and your relationship with God. Yes, you read that right. Yourself. Because if you act in excellence with the way Allah wants you to act, and be, and do, then you will naturally care for your fellow human being and act with excellence with everything and everyone.

Be aware of the drops Satan drops in our mind and in our lives. Keep up the dhikr, keep making dua and keep asking for forgiveness. Reading about historical figures, good and bad, both gives us a perspective on how to be and how not to be.

Here is something I am leaving the reader with:

Quran: 4:97-98

When the angels seize the souls of those who have wronged themselves—scolding them, “What do you think you were doing?” they will reply, “We were oppressed in the land.” The angels will respond, “Was Allah’s earth not spacious enough for you to emigrate?” It is they who will have Hell as their home—what an evil destination!

Except helpless men, women, and children who cannot afford a way out—

The Not so Perfect Preacher

 

I grew up in a Muslim country, one that was pretty Muslim outwardly anyway. You never felt your Islam threatened. Emaan is another story but at least you felt you wore decent clothes, you prayed and fasted.

 

Then I moved to North America and all of a sudden it was as if I had to hang on to my Emaan and save everyone else’s as well. There are people who are not strong enough to save other people’s Emaan and some can’t even save theirs but I thank Allah everyday that at least He gave me that strength so I could try my best. I am sure He judges us not based on what we achieve but based on the strengths He gave us, how much we try.

 

It is always a struggle to stay balanced. Listening to great lectures, practicing what you have learnt, keeping your children on the right track, answering their questions to why we can’t celebrate Christmas or Halloween: All this is a struggle and yes, one needs to have God’s help in remaining calm and continue to not go to one extreme or another. Extremes are always easier after all. You have a great crowd that either does nothing and takes it easy or the crowd that makes a lot of effort but then is not integrating with their surroundings either.

 

A few years ago when I started an initiative to spread the deen in my own way, within our youth but also within the country I live in, a scholarly teacher said to me, “ Be ready to face hardship and be tested.” That scared me a bit but then I said God would give me strength. And He has.

 

It’s been a few years and I have seen people look for everything not so perfect in me to negate what I do. There are people who appreciate the efforts I put in and also help me out but there are those who just turn on me so suddenly that it makes me wonder at the nature of human beings. One day you are on good terms with someone and the next they have negative words for you. This is when I don’t even preach to anyone.

 

You see, people want you to be perfect when you have anything to do with religion. But a human is not going to be an angel. A human is going to have faults in them. That is their perfection: The fact that they are humans with imperfection yet trying to be better all the time. An angel doesn’t do that. They are not created that way. So of course, whether it’s myself, or a scholar of Islam, or anyone else, if you look for faults you will for sure find them.

 

A person who has that attitude in life, that when you say ‘Allah’ you should be a perfect person otherwise you should not try to do anything remotely religious, needs to be taught that they should change their attitude towards life and people. Looking for faults will guarantee you find them but if you look for the good instead, I guarantee you will find that as well. I also urge you to start learning and doing good and to not wait for that perfection in your head because you will never attain it. You have been chosen by God to be a human, ‘The best of Creation’, so make use of that gift and live up to being the best. Do not miss out on a lifetime opportunity to do good when you have the chance simply by looking at the dark and not at the light.

 

I will continue in my own humanistic way, to serve Allah the best I can. I don’t need the world to be my friend and love me. I just want Allah to approve and be on my side.

ROMANCING THE ARAB

Islam came upon the Arabs, through an Arab Prophet (pbuh)and therefore in Arabic. Guess why? The Arabs spoke the language and God wanted to teach them something so He used their language. Period.

When I see people looking up to the Saudis, or generally to an Arab, and then start to don on their identities, the thobe, the beard, the Saudi way of wearing the abaya, etc etc.., I just don’t get it. Every culture has such beautiful outfits, lovely art, food and dialects and languages to share. Who ever said one has to be a certain way to feel closer to God? It is our characters & our hearts that must be following Allah’s commands. All those cultures only provide an even more diverse palate to the Islamic experience.

Going back to the time of the Prophet (pbuh), in fact before his time, the Arabs were really messed up people. I mean, burying-little-girls-alive messed up! God HAD to send a Prophet to them otherwise it would be so unfair to let a whole race go to hell without giving them a chance. And good for most of them, they took that chance and became a much more refined race then they ever were.

BUT, what did they wear BEFORE Islam? The thobe. The beard.The turban. Yes, even Abu Lahab, Abu Jahal dressed that way. Did anyone change their appearance after becoming Muslim? Nope. Only their way of thinking. The thobe remained. The beard remained and so did the turban. So does that mean it’s religious to wear those things or cultural? Well I’d say cultural! And if so..then why are we leaving our cultures behind and trying to mimic them? Not only that, we are mimicking the Saudis and their culture, NOT even the pre-Saudi Arabia culture!

Every culture has its own beauty. The Pakistani and Indian colorful cultures with spices, the Japanese Zen culture, the African and Chinese cultures, even the simpler blander Western culture has its charm. As long as none of that clashes with the requirements of Islam, we can keep our cultures alive within our practices.

“….And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earthand the diversity of your languages and your colours. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.” (Ar-Rum: 22)

If you must romanticize, please romanticize the mannerismsof good humble people, the honesty, the integrity, the hard work, the refinement in dress and behavior. Please find role models that are changing today’s world for the better. You don’t live 1400 years ago. You live today.Islam is a progressive religion. Give it it’s due respect and be yourself.