Re: Wahabi Masjid and Gestures
Very well said & Agreed 100%...
We esp. in the subcontinent have been raised with a lot of rigidity about our religion. Whether, it's right or wrong is debatable but we(me and you and most) the desis tend to take small things very seriously and when it comes to practicality, we (most of us) forget what our Deen teaches...
Umer
I am not sure I will call this a "wahabi" thing. What I have generally seen is that muslims in India-Pakistan are generally very rigid in terms of distractions during namaaz. No extranous movement is tolerated. Thats just the way we have been raised up, that during namaz your entire focus should be on namaz and don't get distracted by anything. Most people will keep their eyes firmly fixed on the place of sajda throughout the namaz.
Arabs, on the other hand, seem fairly relaxed. They will carry their kids in their laps during namaz. In one instance an Arab guy in the middle of a rakaat (during a jamaat prayer) walked quietly to the door and opened it to let another guest come in and then rejoined the rakaat. They frequently make hand gestures to stop people from passing in front of them or to open a fan, stop a phone from ringing, "shush" people by putting a finger in front of their lips or to greet people who are entering. About the only rule they follow, or so it seems to me, is that they do not say anything during namaz to other people.