Re: The Evil of Men's Immoral GAZE & DEEDS
exactly..i agree with das Reich....
Re: The Evil of Men's Immoral GAZE & DEEDS
I'm not sure if you missed my point or not...sorry if it was misconstrued. I was just saying that if you "choose" to live in a western society then you should make an effort to fit well within that society so that you can nicely provide for yourself and your family. You can "somewhat" adhere to Islaamic principles when living in the west but not really if you are hard-line about it. I dont think that any man living in the west can be a success in the white-collar world if he casts his eyes at his feet whenever a woman is present. So thats why I said that if its a big issue to you then you should choose to live in an Islaamic society where this is normally accepted behavior. If you take a more moderate approach and are accepting of the fact that women are present in every facet of daily life and can handle seeing a woman wearing western clothing without having immoral thoughts then you can be fine in the west. It IS a choice and a very personal one. I've met some wonderful and beautiful Muslims here in the west, people who make Islaam extremely attractive. And yet, you'd not know what religion they practice without asking them directly. Not that I'm saying you have to act like a westerner but there ARE certain cultural practices that really need to be followed to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb. I dont know if this explains it better or makes it look worse...sorry about that. I just think that if you need to be really and strictly Islaamic in the true sense, then you need to live within a society that accepts everything that goes with it as normal. See what I mean? I really mean no offense here.
Re: The Evil of Men's Immoral GAZE & DEEDS
I think, it boils down to your beliefs and intentions. Though I have nothing to say against your beliefs, but I would share what I feel about living in the western world for nearly 2 and a half years now.
Some people might compromise on the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) to adjust themselves in the society and make events comfortable and smooth for themselves, others might follow what they think is exactly what their beliefs demand interms of keeping a single sunnah alive (the sawab of which is equal to 100 shaheeds), no matter how much difficulties they have to face in life.
Reminds me a commonly used sentence in "Hayat-us-suhaba". The suhabas (r.a) used to do each and everything on the basis of what they felt would please Allah and the way the Prophet (Saw) taught them to do, no matter how difficult it may make their life in society, because they were convinced that there can't be a better way than following the Prophet (saw) sunnah. They used to bear all difficulties with pleasure, because they knew that the road to Jannat is full of pain, thorns, difficulties and tests of patience.
I can't forget this Ayat from the Quran, when Allah says (urdu translation) " Tumhara kia khayal hai, tumhain main jannat aise hi de doonga. Nahin ! main tumhain aazmaonga aur bohat sakht aazmaonga"
Just to clear the perspective here (for extreme cases), Islam does forgive a person who, just to save his life says " I am not a muslim" but the Quran says that the status of that muslims is higher "Jo zalim badshah ke darbaar main bhi kalima-e-haq kahe"
Though it might be a bit off topic, but just to give an example. Here in Turkey, you would rarely see a youngster with a beard. Alot of people would stare at you everywhere as if you are some alien or from a different world. A number of times I was given an advice that if I shave off my beard for a limited time, I might get good jobs, good appotunities here and people would respect me more. One of them even tried his best to give me a guarentee that the Prophet (saw) wouldn't mind if I shave off my beard while living in this society. But I see the positive aspect as well, few people told me that they got encouragement from me and one of them also kept a beard. <--This is a bigger success for me than geting a good job.
I think the better "success" for a hijabi girl is that another women got encouragement from her and also started doing hijab, instead of her removing hijab to achieve a better job and status in society.
Just my perspective, might be wrong
Allah-u Alam (Allah knows BEST)
Re: The Evil of Men's Immoral GAZE & DEEDS
I can understand how, from a religious point of view, there really isn't much wriggle room in this situation. But personally, I think there is a bit of truth to the saying "When in Rome do as the Romans do." I just mean to say that I know if I were going to a place with "foreign" traditions that I would try my best to adopt some of the more basic and relatively harmless traditions in order to be appreciated for my willingness to at the very least MAKE AN EFFORT. When a foreigner goes into a different culture, the "natives" are usually so pleased when one tries to adapt to the new environment... Again, I understand how this might go against many of your points of view. But, can you understand mine?
Re: The Evil of Men's Immoral GAZE & DEEDS
Mara, thats exactly what I was getting at. I mean, I am a westerner born-and-raised. But when I went to Pak, I went right from the airport to a ready-made store and bought shalwaar kameezes. I covered my head etc. No problem. I had a wondrous time while there.
Now reverse situation...being gori that I am, I saw the black-clad ladies covered from head to toe and yes they were adhering admirably to their beloved religion. No problem when over there. But to wear that in USA? No way, you'd call so very much attention to yourself that the entire purpose of hijaab is completely defeated. See what I mean?
Re: The Evil of Men's Immoral GAZE & DEEDS
I think the most appropriate way would be to not get carried away on either of the two extremes. One should sincerely try to keep a balance by following what satisfies one's heart and beliefs but also with "wisdom" so that one does not unnecessarily put himself in a situation where he can't get himself out of trouble. At the end what matter the most are our "Intentions" behind our actions.