This post is designed as a "What If?" or an extreme of a situation. This is not to poke fun, not to tell someone their beliefs are wrong. It is an observation. Moderation is eliminated in this observation. Its a look at what life might be like if you fully implimented the concept of complete avoidance of those things that are considered haram. But have you ever thought what life might be like in the West if you actually tried to do that? If you really, fully avoided all things that are considered haram. Even the things that appear in everyday life. Below is what it might be like.
Let’s say you want to go out today but you avoid all places with alcohol. You learn very quickly that going out to eat, outside of a fast food place, is going to be rather difficult. Most restaurants serve alcohol. Even the halal ones, which means you can’t go there either. You also realize you can’t go to some movie theatres or baseball games, or theme parks, or carnivals. You can’t even go to most grocery stores. Everywhere there is alcohol.
Ok so, you won’t be doing any of those things today. Maybe you can stay home and watch some TV? But as you click through the channels every show has something haram in it. Some are killing people, all have music, some have relationships between unmarried people, sex, drugs, uncovered women. You name it, its there. You can’t even watch Nickelodeon or Disney because some of the characters are dating in a non-Islamic fashion. Sometimes they even kiss! No TV for you.
Fine, you’re a little frustrated. A bit of retail therapy might do the trick so you head to the mall. BIG MISTAKE. Everywhere you turn, the haram is here. The mall is playing popular music, which boasts a lot of haram topics on top of having a beat. You go by the sweet smelling perfume store then remember perfume is made with alcohol and walk away. You grab a coffee and take a seat realizing you can't even go near most of the clothing stores because the clothes themselves promote haram actions. You look around to see you are surrounded by men and women dressed inappropriately. The men wear tight t-shirts with fitted jeans, the women an array of skimpy clothing their hair swaying as they walk, swishing their hips seductively. The ads depict men and women in sexual situations trying to sell products. You even see a life-sized photo of an almost naked man hanging in the window of a preppy clothing store. Not to mention that you forgot there would be men in the mall! You are definitely suppose to avoid them at all costs, less you find yourself having inappropriate feelings towards one. Smashing your empty coffee cup, you toss it in the trash and head home.
You’re back home, completely frustrated. You decide to stay in and read a book. Of course, it must be one without haram content. You find yourself with very little options. You can read most books on philosophy and religion, providing Freud isn’t involved. You can’t read any of the popular books, they all carry haram topics ( no Twilight for you). You settle for an Islamic history book and start reading, wondering if this is all you get to do.
Ok, discuss :)
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like the cliche goes...when one door closes another opens or is it
ReplyDeletewhen one door closes a window opens. lol. You are forgetting one MAJOR ingredient. Moderation. Also this concept of living halal wouldn't be so extreme if you remove the label "halal and Muslim."
For example:
you are a strict vegan and refuse to wear animal tested products, leather, or any other animal bio product. You find out that even the synthetic fibers on your car are made from animal sources. You then find this article on the new york times about plants wanting to live too and you are left wondering. To eat or not to eat?
or you are a budding fashionista with a strong sense of social justice on a budget and you realize that the only items you can afford are mainly in walmart and most likely made by someone in a sweat shop who was underpaid in a developing country and probably a child laborer. And your fiance just gives you the most amazing diamond ring (I mean your hand goes numb wearing it cuz thats how heavy it is), however, you know about blood diamonds and therefore this is unacceptable to you and will most likely hurt your fiance's feelings.
or you believe cows are sacred but you live in a land where excess and burgers are the main menu. And your co workers constantly talk about the newest recipe they tested on a nice piece of veal and how religion is for the dirty masses.
or you are an environmentalist and you realize everything you do has a HUGE carbon footprint but living off the grid doesn't appeal to you at ALL. Or your prius has to be shipped from europe making an even bigger foot print.
or you live off the grid because you thoroughly believe in the principle of self reliance and now you realize that your biofuel car can only go an x amout of miles before it needs refueling and biofuel gas station are virtually NON existent. As a result you are now stranded in an isolated area and your labor has stalled.
or you are part of the amish and you have to renounce all technology including this awesome blog for the sake of your beliefs. (isn't it ironic that they don't have to pay taxes and have a parallel legal system to ours but no one seems to mind?)
or you are a jehova's witness and you are on the operating table bleeding profusely almost to death and the only thing that will keep you alive is a blood transfusion but unfortunately that is out of the question because your beliefs state that blood should not mixed and therefore it is not permissible for you.
or you have type two diabetes and everything has high fructose corn syrup which you can't have because you have twice been hospitalized and have lost some of your vision because of it. Now when you go to your LARGE familiy get togethers you are the odd men out who can't have any of the cakes and goodies. Fast food is out of the question and most restaurants don't adhere to your specific diet yet you are the sole bread winner of your household and your job requires that you are up and about for HOURS on end between endless meetings and weekly international flights.
I can go on.
For some reason humans struggle with wanting everything to be black and white.
ReplyDeleteI think that God created us with intellect and free will for a reason, so that we are able to choose good and use the things he has created without exploiting it. That balance will never be a 100% though because every created thing has flaws.
Even if we lived a sustainable Muslim/Amish community that was entirely self sufficient, we would still have to make decisions that dangle somewhere between halal and haram every single day.
Tuttie: I think you missed the point and I apologize if the post offended you but I did disclaimer it as my version of an extreme. Moderation does not play a part in this post because it is an EXTREME. The concept of being aware of the haram is not extreme but doing so in the fashion of this post is. I doubt anyone lives their life exactly as this post dictates...it would be impossible and lacks the necessary moderation. But many would have you believe that this is exactly how you should live your life.
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe for some this description is not so extreme. Maybe it is similar to their life. My Love's parents operate on a similar plain of existance. They have left weddings because alcohol is present, because they are playing dance music, because there are women dressed inappropriately. They will not go to any resturante that has a bar, even if it is a halal food resturante. His mother won't go to the mall because there is too much haram there. The only possible haram thing they do is watch Lost and talk to the opposite sex. And for them, this is not extreme. They are not American, they did not grow up in American society. They do not have American friends. They do not have to explain to their office why they can't come to the office holiday party because it is at a lounge bar. They do not have to watch all their friends get ready for Prom while they sit in their sweats unable to go because Prom is too haram. His mother has no need for the mall for she only wears traditional clothing. They go to the same resturante whenever they go out and have no desire to go anywhere else. This works for them.
It does not work for me.
I just work on the idea that life is a test and therefore temptations will be they by the shaytan to lead us astray. If they were no temptations, there wouldnt be free will and no right or wrong. how would be able to choose those worthy of our company etc?
ReplyDeletejust my opinion!
Well not all Muslims agree that all of those things are haram, especially music, going to a place that serves alcohol, etc. I live in Cairo and people are fine with those things. So what if the restaurant serves alcohol, doesn't mean I'M going to drink it.
ReplyDeleteYou give very strict examples of what's haram that you don't find being applied in many Muslim communities. I personally do not agree that music is haram, for example. But like you said, you were giving extreme examples. It's strange for me to know that some Muslims live like this. It would be hard to do this in a Muslim country, let alone the West!
Very interesting post.
This is a very interesting post. You're right, this life does seem very extreme, and I would not be satisfied at all with it. Yes, you are supposed to strive more for the Hereafter than for this earthly life, but that doesn't mean that it is required to be miserable. Alhamdulillah, I am glad that Islam calls for moderation. And I really like what Liz said; if there was no temptation, there wouldn't be any chance for us to choose between right and wrong and (Insha'Allah) get reward and blessing for choosing the right.
ReplyDeleteGiven your scenario? I'd either loose my mind and chuck the whole thing as a terrible idea, thereby freeing me up to interact with the world at large, or move to Saudi Arabia under the impression that many of these haram things don't exist there. But then I'd have a whole new set of problems.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, not an issue for me. :)
I think it will be hard to find a balance with the family once you are married. Most of my friends who are 2nd generation immigrants have less issues than their parents in terms of interacting with the society at large. Muslims also have to remember that the Quran has been interpreted differently by different communities at different times.
ReplyDeleteStacy: I really dont see any issues interacting with his parents. I haven't had any so far. He lives a very different style of life from them. Same with his siblings. And his parents dont try to force them to be one way or the other. The parents know their kids listen to music, have friends of the opposite sex, watch questionable TV shows. They may not approve, but they do not stop them either. I have to respect his parents for that.
ReplyDeleteHowever the wedding (or weddings as it may need to be) will be a hot mess :)
Here's a dilemma for you: what do you do if you have bought a beautiful vintage coat, gorgeously embroidered with what look to you like abstract figures, it's your favorite item of clothing and then suddenly you find out that the 'abstract figures' are intended to be flowers whose purpose (when they were being embroidered) was to act as... fertility symbols? And then you do a little more reading about other items that you perhaps haven't bought yet, and find out that the figures on those are intended to ward off the evil eye, and you suddenly realize that almost all folk art has some kind of pagan connotations - and here you have a large collection of fabric with such symbolism in its designs, which you were planning to use to redo your wardrobe. What do you do with all that material?
ReplyDeleteI just recently have had a discussion with a certain Muslim acquaintance which began from a post to his blog with a picture of a decorated Christmas tree with Old Testament verses underneath. And these verses contained a condemnation of engaging in pagan customs, for example... cutting down trees,setting them up and decorating them with gold and silver ornaments. And this person's commentary was something to the effect of 'As you enjoy your Christmas tree this year, you can rest assured that you are thereby earning God's displeasure.'
And indeed. There is such a tree at my church. No one is worshiping it in any obvious way, thank God, but once you see the verse, it does look like an act of provocation. The odd thing is that the person whose job it is to procure it actually is aware of these verses and her heart grows heavy when she sees the one alongside the other. She doesn't protest because she feels it wouldn't change anything.
So I'm thinking, what to do now? Should I go and try to talk to her boss? And who am I to go and talk to this person when I have this material in my home? Some would say 'To the pure, all things are pure. To the impure, even what is pure is impure.' But then there is no point in talking about the tree either. But then someone will tell me I am just making excuses for my own error, failing to repent, and thereby giving yet more evidence that I am on my way to hell.
I'm sorry. Maybe I should start my own blog, but for the moment I don't have one and I need to vent, and it seems like this is a forum where the matter at hand is being entertained in some reasonably constructive manner. Please bear with me, there is more.
What do you do when you have been spending time with someone for six years, the subject of marriage has come up a few times already, you both identify with the same religion, both of you in principle take the Bible as normative in all things, and you suddenly realize that a seemingly little difference in your views about something that could be viewd as forming part of the 'doctrine of salvation', if taken to its logical conclusion, will mean that you each ought to view the other as working for the devil and on their way to hell?
OK, gotta go to bed. Thanks for your patience. Will be watching this space, hoping for some sort of reply.
I would reply but honestly I dont know what to say :) Things can mean one thing to one person, something else to another. I know this.
ReplyDeleteI kinda wish I hadnt put this post up but it has taught me something: No more What ifs. People took this much more seriously than I thought they would considering I labeled it as a what if.
Oh well live and learn. I might delete it at some point.
LK, All right, if the problem is just people taking it too seriously, you can delete my reply. I'm probably the most guilty, so please accept my apologies. I didn't mean to wreck anyone's day with it.
ReplyDeleteCaraboska: You did wreck anything :) Your reply is very interesting. my post is just isnt that great lol
ReplyDeletelol, your post was fine and well thought out. I think it was just an issue that pulled people in a lot of different directions.
ReplyDeleteStacy: Eh live and learn :) It sure has been interesting LOL
ReplyDeleteLike I said, LK, I feel your post deals with the issues at hand in a contructive manner... Don't delete it. The world needs more sensible people who write about this issue, not less...
ReplyDeleteI just have to disagree w/ someting tuttie said. The Amish DO pay taxes! I grew up mennonite. We/they pay all taxes except social security. Just trying to clear up the air.
ReplyDelete