Comments on: Are you religious?

By: Shakaib

Shakaib — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:11:59 +0000

The thing is… yes there are unreligious women who wear a hijab but do other big haraam things.

Advice: Don’t look at the fact that they they have a hijab and they’re still doing bad things. Hijab is one of the required good things they’re doing. So if you have to criticize them, then just criticize the bad thing. Never say “why are you wearing a hijab if you do this too. Because then you will eventually make them stop wearing the hijab because they feel stupid. If you have to say something then only concentrate on the haraam stuff they’re doing, let them keep doing the good things they’re doing.

It’s like when someone says “Hey you have a fist-length beard, but you don’t pray? Then you should shave your beard” Then the poor guy shaves his beard off. The way that is to be dealt with is to not comment on his beard and rather encourage him to pray salaah. That way in the end he will have done two good things rather than two bad things.

Basically never tell someone they shouldn’t be doing one good thing because they’re also doing a bad thing.

I hope you understand what I am saying, because it’s hard for me to explain and even I’m confusing myself now. But sorry, don’t feel offended. It’s only advice from a stranger.

By: jannah

jannah — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:06:18 +0000

ws,

sofia that’s really amazing ma’shallah may Allah bless her for helping you. I wish i could be a role model for the kids but it’s so hard to even be a good person for urself nowadays! but the being true to yourself, i think i’ll try to talk about that topic in next week’s blog inshaAllah!

nur yes “practicing muslim” is a little less ambiguous than “religious muslim” but still not defined clearly. that guy who killed his wife in buffalo could be called a “practicing muslim” in that he prayed and fasted and went to the mosque, but turns out he was an awful person with a horrible home life. and lol i wasn’t talking about you when i said new people! there are other ppl who moved here recently and it doesn’t matter what they ‘assumed it’ based on, it was just interesting in that it was different from what others assume.

By: Nur

Nur — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:46:06 +0000

I hate the term “religious”. Great post!

I usually define a person as “practicing Muslim” or not by the way they interact with other people. Perhaps those people that moved to Albany this year didn’t assume you were “religious” based on your interactions with them.

By: sofia

sofia — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:31:22 +0000

Salaam, nice topic…i only have one thing to say, about one of my inspirations. She taught me what it meant to pray, to really pray. She taught me what modesty really was, esp. in manners.
And she doesn’t look identifiably “Muslim” by some standards (hijaab/jilbaab). Had I not gotten to know her, I would have never benefitted from her. Had I met someone else, with less sincerity or knowledge of inner faith, I would have probably been disillusioned. It was a fragile age, let’s just say (teen years), and I needed someone like her at that particular time in my life, walhamdulillah.
Anyhow, while some of us do wear hijaab and modest clothing, if that’s how we define ourselves, alone, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors.
Nice topic for thought, jazaaki Allahu khayran.

By: Nassiba

Nassiba — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:13:31 +0000

I really liked this blog and esp the cartoon. I’m stealing it and putting it on my facebook!