Assalamu'alaikum,
Today is the sixth day of Ramadan, and Alhamdulillah, so far it has been - for the most part- spent as I had envisioned it. I wanted to put even extra effort into this Ramadan because it might be my last chance having this whole month to myself at home, with no urgent (school or work-related) duties. When you have graduated, it finally hits you how little time you have left to spend on cultivating yourself. You then realize just how much you wish you had spent all those years as an undergrad and as a h.s. student memorizing the Qur'an, etc. But regrets get us nowhere; we can only optimize the chances we have left.
I had intended to not be active with social websites, even this one, during this month, but some issues become rather pressing and the only solution I find is to discuss it. Topics regarding Islam are often touchy subjects, and require delicate approach. Especially when it comes to interpretation. How far do we follow the literal translation, who is qualified to voice judgement, and to what extent can one follow Islam - to the best of one's abilities - without running the risk of being called "extremist"?
The two main lessons I derived from personal interactions regarding the said topics are:
1. Honestly ask yourself what your intentions are. Do I do the things I do because I genuinely want to please Allah, to follow His word because I believe He is the Most Great, and that as His slave my ego should be irrelevant, nonexistent? Or do you have an agenda of some sort, or an immense pride in your intellect? Remember, “Anyone who possesses a speck of pride (kibr) in his heart will not enter Paradise”. There is no greater wisdom than in humbly accepting your mistakes. And the opposite is true: the biggest fool is one who obstinately sticks by his judgement though all respectable, sound proof run contrary to it. May Allah protect us from such pride.
2. Respect those who have dedicated their life to scholarship. One is only qualified to rely on their judgement regarding the interpretation of the Qur'an and the sunnah once one has actually studied. Much like how the lay people cannot make a convincing argument against a complex policy without having really studied it, we cannot trust our ability to judge what is the "essence" or the intended meaning of a verse or a law without having been equipped. A snippet from an article regarding madhabs:
"While the call for a return to the Qur'an and sunna is an attractive slogan, in reality it is a great leap backward, a call to abandon centuries of detailed, case-by-case Islamic scholarship in finding and spelling out the commands of the Qur'an and sunna, a highly sophisticated, interdisciplinary effort by mujtahids, hadith specialists, Qur'anic exegetes, lexicographers, and other masters of the Islamic legal sciences. To abandon the fruits of this research, the Islamic shari'a, for the following of contemporary sheikhs who, despite the claims, are not at the level of their predecessors, is a replacement of something tried and proven for something at best tentative. " - © Nuh Ha Mim Keller 2000, http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/madhhab.htm
Brothers and sisters, let us renew our intentions every day and night, and may Allah grant us patience and peace in our hearts and His Mercy. May this Ramadan prove to be fruitful for all of us, insyaAllah.
Ma'asalam,
Sarah
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