1) I must admit, I'm a study freak. I had finals going on -- and I am a hard worker. I put all on hold to just read and write for class.
2) The holidays. I don't celebrate Christmas, but I do wish those who do a merry one. (So, if you celebrate Christmas, I wish you had a great one!!) I believe that there is no sin in wishing others a happy holiday although some in my religion do disagree even with that. To me, it's simple. You don't have to believe in something to wish someone a happy holiday. Take our own holiday for example. When a non-Muslim friend says "Eid Mubarak" or "Ramadan Kareem" to me -- I don't expect them to magically convert because of this. No, rather I'm happy that a friend has taken the time out to learn the greeting, anyways.You need to learn about the other holiday before wishing someone, and well -- if everyone learned about the others holiday -- doesn't that make for a connected world??
To the Muslims who strictly believe even wishing is a sin, I offer them this perspective from an Imam:
"The European Fatwa Council; made up of 20 of the worlds greatest Muslim Jurists, stated that it is permissible to greet people on these days (exchange gifts even) as long as it does not involve approving any creedal differences between us, or open evil (drinking and so on). In other words, a simple happy holidays is not a sin or going to take that person out of Islam. It is reported with authentic chains that Ali (ra) celebrated the Persian New Year, even eating ice cream with Imam Abu Hanifa's relative. Many of the fatwa quoted by sincere folks are rooted in an age of empire and war (the crusades) or a social reality that does not fit ours in the West. Most importantly, a person should ask those who use words like "haram" "kufur" "Halal" and "encouraged" about their religious training. Yelling and over blown emotionalism does not equal training and scholarship. Allah knows best" - Imam Suhaib Webb, posted on his Facebook page on December 25, 2012
I thought this was beautifully and simply put. And I agree wholeheartedly with it. I hadn't seen the post myself, but a friend referred me to this Imam's facebook page thinking that I would love this post. And I did.
3) I've been thinking tons. And it's not that healthy type of thinking, it's that thinking that can make a person go mad, frankly. I'll explain more in another heading.
4) I've lost faith in society and so don't even know if this blog is worth it. What is the point of attempting to clear up misconceptions and showcase an American Muslim to the world, if so much bad exists? Ever since the CT shooting and now this hate-crime (NYT article) -- I find myself wondering how exactly the world could be so bad.
caramel
No comments:
Post a Comment