WorkingforOne and more

Parents

This is an odd time for me to make this particular entry, but I cannot stop thinking about it. For the past two years or so, I feel like I have given my parents a lot of worries, anxiety, headaches and sleepless nights because I wanted certain things to be my way. It's not been an easy two years. At all. We fought, we argued, we made up, we argued again.

Sitting here now, I realize that no matter how hard things have been, they'll be okay in the future. InshaAllah. No matter what happens from this point onwards, it'll be alright. I wish they had been more understanding, at times. I wish that I had been more understanding, at times.

Sitting here now, I realize that no one loves me as unconditionally as my parents. And no matter how much of a hard time I have given them, they will never stop showering me with their unconditional love. I can't stop the tears from flowing out of my eyes as I realize that perhaps I could have been a better daughter to them. It's true that they have not always made things easy for me, but they have tried so hard and done their best, and sitting here right now, I have never felt more grateful to Allah than now for giving me such wonderful parents. Parents who have put aside their wants in order to provide my happiness. I love them with all my being, and I hope I can be the best daughter I can be to them from this point on, inshaAllah.

And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."

                                                                       (Qur'an: 17:24)

Modernizing Islam in a Modern World

An ongoing debate both within and beyond the Muslim community concerns commandments in the Qur’an about hijab. There are many who question whether practicing hijab in the literal sense—actually covering the hair and body with a piece of cloth—is really a commandment in the Qur’an. Many claim fiercely that “it [hijab] has nothing to do with Islam” and is solely based on personal choice—a claim perhaps instigated from an inferiority complex when facing the Western ideal of “feminism” and “liberation”. The number of women wearing the hijab is a dominant, if not, the most dominant symbol of Islam in the world and for anyone to claim that “it has nothing to do with Islam” was beyond me. Supporters of this argument will brandish many reasons to explain why Muslim women wear the hijab since (in their view) it is not a commandment in the Qur’an. First, Muslim women think it’s a commandment and are smothered by male scholars who say it is. Secondly, they are smothered by male dominance and are forced to wear it. Thirdly, Muslim women for some reason, choose to wear it even if it isn’t a command.

Of course, they forgot the real reason—it is indeed a command clearly stated in the Qur’an, and Muslim women choose to follow the command—not because they’re male counterparts told them to, but because the reasoning behind hijab makes perfect sense. Of course no one’s going to believe me just because I want them to. So instead of fuming, I decided to go to the ultimate source of proof—the Qur’an itself. 

Surah Ahzab (The Confederates), verse 59 and Surah Nur (The Light) provide clear commandments about hijab. A translation from Surah Nur follows:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their zeenah (charms, or beauty and ornaments) except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimar (veils) over their bosoms and not display their zeenah except to their husbands, their fathers .... and that they should not strike their feet so as to draw attention to their hidden zeenah (ornaments). (24:31-32)

Now, I know what many “modern” Muslims are screaming. Nowhere in these verses does it say to literally take a piece of cloth and wrap it around your head. Which means it doesn’t explain things in an idiotically literal way—it for example does not say, “Oh believing women thou shalt take a piece of cloth, tie it firmly around your head and pin it with a good quality pin to guard your modesty.”  But guess what, it does say something just as clear—not as literal, but just as clear. In verse 24:31-32 above, the word khimar appears. Most translators of the Qur’an believe that khimar refers to a loose scarf worn by women during the Prophet’s (pbuh) that covered the head and neck. Verse 24:31 states that women are to also use the khimar to cover their bosoms. This would not mean to only cover the bosoms since the khimar already covers the head and neck.  The verses from the Qur’an give guidelines for women to protect and guard their modesty—the verses are clear, definite and precise—there is no arguing that women have indeed been commanded to practice modesty in a very specific way. 

But, in modern times, us modern Muslims pounce on any chance to justify our lifestyles within the boundaries of Islam. If it’s easier to not practice hijab in this day and age, then we seek moral justification for our actions. Hence if anything in Islam just doesn’t “fit” with the rest of Western society, we constantly seek moral justification in Islam to allow us to act the way we do. Many claim it is their right to interpret and practice Islam the way they see it, the way they like it. So if that means making the Qur’an and Sunnah and hence Islam a game of multiple choice, where we pick and choose the parts we choose to obey and skim over the parts we would rather leave “open to interpretation” then our individual faith is in serious trouble.

The debate over hijab is just one example among many that shows how Muslims are increasingly attempting to make Islam more “attractive” and non-threatening in our Western world when in fact, if we truly understand the essence and root of our own faith we would be blessed to know that Islam never was and never will be “unattractive” or “out-of-date” nor is it threatening when understood with a clear, open and intelligent mind.

It's 2008 already?!

Wow...guess I haven't written on this thing for a while.