By: Haqqseeker
Source: MuslimVillage
Pick the Muslim:
Two young men, man ‘A’ and man ‘B’ are walking along a road. One of them, we are told, is a Muslim. Below are their descriptions. Please read them carefully and pick the Muslim if you can:
MAN ‘A’: He is bareheaded and his clean-shaven face is emitting the fragrance of a popular aftershave. He is clad in a close fitting, short-sleeved T-shirt and a very tight pair of jeans.
MAN ‘B’: He is bareheaded and his clean-shaven face is emitting the fragrance of a popular aftershave. He is clad in a close fitting, short-sleeved T-shirt and a very tight pair of jeans.
Have you found out who the Muslim is between the two? Well, if you could not then do not worry. From their descriptions, they both look alike.
This is not some kind of a riddle or a puzzle but a very serious mater. It has indeed become very difficult to pick Muslims from among a group of men and even women these days because outwardly they all have become mirror images of one another. No one can deny the fact that, going by their looks, the way they dress up and the way they behave, there isn’t an iota of difference between the so-called ‘Progressive Muslims’ of today and the non-Muslims. In other words, the libas (dress styles) and the culture of the Muslims and the non-Muslims have become interchangeable.
One of the major crimes the present-day Muslim has committed against his nafs (self) is that he has ceased to look like a Muslim. The consequences of this gross misconduct are very far-reaching. They can be figured out from a hadith from Sunan-Dawud’s Book 27, Chapter 1506 (Wearing clothes for gaining fame), hadith number 4020, which states that:
“‘Abdul Allah ibn ‘Umar (May Allah be pleased with himma) narrated that the Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: He who copies any people is one of them”, or words to that effect.
While most of the non-Muslims believe in the adage ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’, we Muslims should stick to one course of action only: When in Rome, or, for that matter, in any part of the world, do as our beloved Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did or asked us to do. But how sad it is that we turn a blind eye to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and voluntarily let the west set our standards as far as our ‘looks’ and our dressing styles are concerned.
Today’s Muslim vocally claims to be an ardent admirer of Rasulullah (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) but this is not manifest in the way he or she dresses. Supporting him, protecting his Sunnah, imitating him and being fearful of contradicting his Sunnah, are the conditions of true love for the Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
Some of our sisters are even a step ahead than our brothers in aping the western life style, it seems. They claim that the western lifestyle grants them freedom.
Moulana ‘Abdul Hameed Ishaq, in an article titled ‘Western Women’ says:
“With regard to the freedom of women a non-Muslim white Australian woman was employed in a Muslim school of necessity but with the condition of wearing a cloak and even veiling her face. She complied and when asked after some time how she felt in this garb, since their lifestyle is of semi-nudity, her spontaneous reply is an eye opener to reality. She said Islamic lifestyle has given me freedom from western slavery. In their culture a person is enslaved to wearing a certain colour of shoes to match the dress. Then the nail polish, lipstick, blush, etc., all have to match as well. In Islam simplicity is the rule and by donning the cloak there is no need for this matching culture.”
Instead of donning either a niqab or at least a hijab, it is indeed shocking to see that a number of Muslim women prefer to dress in such a manner that part of their awrah (intimate parts) is accentuated and at times even exposed. Muslim sisters should not wear clothes that are transparent or tight fitting wherein the outlines of their figures are visible. They should also avoid putting on sarees, mini-skirts, tights, backless dresses (worn especially by brides in the western countries but now adopted by brides in Muslim countries too!) etc. Some modern girls have even adopted the three-quarter pants in their system of dressing, thus exposing major part of their calves while others go to the extent of frequenting the public swimming pools and beaches clad unashamedly in swimsuits only (may Allah save us from His wrath).
The worst part is that some of us are dressed in the same non-Muslim attire even at the time of Salah when we are standing in front of our Creator!
Unfortunately, things do not stop here. Besides our dressing style we have also adopted the western ways in many other respects. Our lifestyle, our weddings, our education systems, our leisure activities – the list is endless – they all reflect the negative aspects of western culture and ideology.
Given below is a very awe-inspiring pearl from the life of Sayiduna ‘Umar ibn Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him), taken from the fascinating book ‘Pearls from the Path’, Volume 1, compiled by Moulana Afzal Ismail.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) was on his way to Syria. While walking, he came to a shallow stream. He was dressed in a shawl, a pair of leather socks and turban. He jumped off his camel, removed his leather socks and placed them on his shoulder. He proceeded to wade through the water by leading his camel by its reins.
When Abū ‘Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him), who had come to meet him, saw this, he remarked, “O Amīr al-Muminīn, how can you do this? You have placed your leather socks on your shoulder and you wade through the water, leading your camel by its reins! It will displease me if the inhabitants of the city see you like this.”
‘Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) rebuked him saying, “If anybody other than you had made this statement, I would have given him such a punishment that would have served as a lesson for the rest of the Ummah (Muslim community). We were the most disgraced of the nations and Allah Subhanahu wa Most High granted us honour through Islam. When we seek honour in any other way, Allah Subhanahu wa Most High will disgrace us.”
Today this is the case. We have now been relegated to the lowliness that Allah has promised. For proof, one only has to look around: Muslims are being humiliated, subjugated and oppressed by the very system and people whose ways they seek to emulate, in preference to the Sunnah of their Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), and the examples of those who Allah was pleased with.
Democracy or Hypocrisy?
The European Union’s top law court has ruled recently that employers are entitled to ban staff from wearing visible religious symbols – a decision some said was a direct attack on women wearing hijab at work.
The west introduced a system of government called Democracy which established freedom, justice and peace. These countries preached about freedom and tolerance, allowing their citizens to wear what they liked.
And now the same countries have suddenly changed their stance. They are now snatching the Muslim women their right to wear a hijab. How can we call them ‘Democratic Countries’ anymore? They are now only worth to be addressed as the ‘Hypocritical Countries’.
May Allah Subhanahu wa Most High guide us on Swirat al Mustaqeem (straight path)…ameen.
And Allah Most High Knows Best.
