What will the people say? Will they approve of it? Will they laugh at it? It seems that such concerns influence our actions --especially our public conduct-- more than anything else. Social pressure is a powerful force. It works by appealing to our desire not to be insulted, ridiculed, or criticized.
In a righteous society it could also be a force for good, as some people will avoid a bad name more than they would a bad action. But in the real world out there it mostly turns into an evil force, pressuring people into doing things they know are wrong or keeping them from doing what they know are right. The question of right and wrong is changed into a question of acceptable and unacceptable to this evil force.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Why have I posted this? Because I am facing a dilemma. I am sure most of the Muslim youth face it at one or another point in their life. That dilemma is whether you should obey your parents by blindly following the rules of the society or should you obey the teachings of Islam.
In a righteous society it could also be a force for good, as some people will avoid a bad name more than they would a bad action. But in the real world out there it mostly turns into an evil force, pressuring people into doing things they know are wrong or keeping them from doing what they know are right. The question of right and wrong is changed into a question of acceptable and unacceptable to this evil force.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Why have I posted this? Because I am facing a dilemma. I am sure most of the Muslim youth face it at one or another point in their life. That dilemma is whether you should obey your parents by blindly following the rules of the society or should you obey the teachings of Islam.
Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe," and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test). Or those who do evil deeds think that they can outstrip Us (i.e. escape Our Punishment)? Evil is that which they judge!
Whoever hopes for the Meeting with Allah, then Allah's Term is surely coming. and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah is free of all wants from the worlds. Those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah (Monotheism) and in Messenger Muhammad, and do not apostate because of the harm they receive from the polytheists], and do righteous good deeds, surely, We shall remit from them their evil deeds and shall reward them according to the best of that which they used to do.
And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents, but if they strive to make you join with Me (in worship) anything (as a partner) of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto Me is your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do. (Chapter 29: Verses 2 - 8)
If you were in my place, what would you choose? The rules of the creation or the Creator? And why?
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11 comments:
Akeeeeeeeed Creator!
Is it easy? Hell no! It never was & never will be easy..
It's even harder when it comes to parents.. But alhamduliLlah, since my parents LISTEN & TALK, unlike other parents, every point of view gets easy to be explained to them..
Please don't give in to today's ill concepts.. You wouldn't be the DG we've always knew..
Rabinna will bless you & make it easier for you if you did what He Has ordered you to do.. Even if it (at the begining) seems hard, it'll eventually be a piece of cake with Him, Al Qareeb Al Mojeeb..
*wish you all the strength it takes*
respectfully,
Oh, I forgot to answer the why part..
Why? 'cuz it'll be better for us doing what our Creator asked us to do & not His creatures.. He's The One closer than veins, not them..
when you quote the Quran, you pretty much leave no room for debate. not that there is any debate when you dont quote the Quran, but it just becomes so black and white this way :)
anyways, i dont get your dilemma.
whether you should obey your parents by blindly following the rules of the society or should you obey the teachings of Islam
wasnt obedience to parents right up there with everything else? arent they the first ones to deserve our affection and respect? again, im not sure what islam says about this cuz most of what ive learnt about my religion is from society :)
anyways the question is, are your parents suggesting you do something that goes against the teachings of islam? can they not be reasoned with? or have i completely missed the point?
honestly, ill bileev in wht im convinced of and wht makes sense. and on most occasions, the 8ur2an+a7adeeth r pretty explanatory.. if not, its our task as intellectual beings to seek more sources of hard-core info.
bottom line, there is no rong or rite, unless ur convinced why it is as so. and there's no shame in questioning Islam. besides, if we dont who will?
Sara: Thanks for your encouraging words. I think you are lucky mashAllah to have parents who listen. But unfortunately, most muslim parents are influenced more by the society. Cultural norms & traditions almost always take precedence & that too sadly in the name of Islam although in reality religion has nothing ot do with them. May Allah guide us & give us strength to stay on the right path.
Hemlock: Well you said, "wasnt obedience to parents right up there with everything else? arent they the first ones to deserve our affection and respect?", no two opinions about that. After all, they are your path to either paradise or hell.
But what if the parents know what they are doing is wrong but still insist on doing that mainly because they are worried about what people will say about them. And I think if you look at our people, most of the problems in the society have arisen because of this same attitude. Now if the present generation continues on the same path, don't you think the things will only get worse for the future generations?
Lone Ranger'ess: I believe this is your first visit here, welcome & hope you will continue sharing your thought here :-)
Back to the topic, you said there is no shame in questioning Islam. My arguement is, why do we find it easier to question the religion? Why most of don't question the culture & traditions of the society? What is more dear to us? Our religion or our culture?
Salam Alaikom. I am responding to this, because this post is so applicable, and you know why.
What do you do when your heart has a 50 % split, in a matter that conflicts your desire with their desire?
Allah says in His book "but if they strive to make you join with Me (in worship) anything (as a partner) of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not."
What if the matter has nothing to do with the way of worship, rather, it had to do with decision making. The choice of taking a path, which neither are strictly prohibited. Rather, both are in shades of grey.
This does not open up A dilemma, more like dilemma(s). What happens when you are entagled in a place where you no longer know whether your choices are for the Creator or the creation.
You know what this reminds me of, a series of thread rolls that were seperately organized. Then someone threw them all in a container, and shook them hard till all th threads got entangled and was not able to distinguish one roll from the other.
This reminds me of that.
W'Alaikom Salam & thanks for sharing your thought here :-)
I think the example you gave of the thread rolls has very accurately defined the current status of our people & our societies. The problem is that we have mixed many things together. One of the reasons I admire the Western societies is that they have liberated themselves from what I call emotional blackmail by the parents & the family. On the other hand, we in the Muslims societies have perfect this "art". At least this is what I have observed.
Coming back to the example you gave, we all know that the threads have been entangled. What next? What is the role of the young generation? Should they carry on with their lives ignoring it or should they try to initiate some change at least among the people close to them?
I constantly repeat this thing many times & I will write it here again, people brought about negative changes into their societies by deviating from the right path & only people can undo those negative changes through positive actions. It reminds me of a Quranic verse,
"For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah. Verily! Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves. But when Allah wills a people's punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector". (Chapter 13: Verse 11)
Would love to read your opinion on this comment :-)
here's the thing. if you know and your parents know what they want of you is for the society... then dudeeeeeeeee! is tehre even a dilemma here?
so WHAT will people say?
how long can you live worrying about what people will say?
people should get jobs and mortgage payments. seriously.
"people should get jobs and mortgage payments"
Sorry, I didn't get your point here. How is getting a job or making mortgage payments related to this post? You see, I am not very good in the brain department, explanation please :-)
oh sorry. that was my VERY roundabout way of saying people need to get involved in their own lives and leave others be. :)
do what you need to do, everyone else can take a hike.
Thanks for the clarification. Yes, I agree with you but then it is a tricky subject in our societies & almost always evokes strong reactions. We are confused people, we really don't know what we want. Thats why all our actions are based on keeping the people "happy" even if that means we end up financially & morally bankrupt.
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