Salaamu alaikum.
I removed my previous post stirring up so much dispute.
Upon further consideration, I agreed with one commenter that it would be more honest & useful (my words) to say the things I wanted to say directly to a particular person.
I have done that. May Allah forgive me if I was wrong to not address it to whom I should have in the first place. May Allah guide me & fellow muslims always to the correct adab. May fellow muslims forgive me if I have injured them. May Allah reward the sister who reminded me. Ameen.
There are a few points I wish to keep, which are my notes to all muslims:
1. We must be humble enough to always pursue truth, even when it hurts.
2. The point of this life is not to achieve happiness. The point of our creation is to worship Allah.
This life is a test. Happiness is nice to have, but it comes and goes, regardless of your status or
circumstances. When the going gets rough, people like to jump ship, or try to find a
different, "progressive" way to shore. What SHOULD happen - and of course we ALL need
practice at this - when Allah gives us tests, we turn EVEN MORE STRONGLY AND
FAITHFULLY TO ALLAH, saying, O Allah! HELP ME get through this! There is no helper but
you!
3. Don't stop seeking help from Allah because you are not getting the results you wanted. One
has to be patient, and persistant - maybe 'till the end of one's life. That's true patience. And
waiting with a truly open, thankful, rembering, faithful heart - not a suspicious heart, or one
that thinks, maybe semi-consciously, well, I'm only going to do X if you give me Y.
4. Count your blessings.
5. Weigh the consequences.
6. Allah LOVES those who ask for His Mercy! He LOVES those who rely solely on Him!Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that NO ONE will get into Jannah by
his or her deeds alone. Not even himself. We will get into Jannah ONLY by Allah's Mercy. None
of us is anything near imaginably perfect, and it is His Mercy alone that is so Great and
Beneficient that he CAN forgive and show mercy. But we must want it and seek it.
7. What we should be seeking is happiness in the eternal world. Everything else is
GUARANTEED to be fleeting. It means nothing, because this life is just a short little test. All
muslims, all who know of the afterlife, the believers - their utmost heart's desire is Jannat
Firdaus. That is what we are striving for.
8. It is our job to speak about what is right. All imams remind us - again, again, and again. The
Qur'an reminds us - again, again, and again. We know what is right but we need to be uplifted,
inspired to receive it and have it hit home, maybe not today, but maybe next week. Don't have
the light drowned out or silenced because no one feels like seeing it.
9. It is the job of true friends, true brothers & sisters, to help guide us to that place of peace &
safety, the fold of Islam.
10. Those that state their religious opinions about what is true should bring proof.
11. We cannot solve or judge a dispute between two people when we have only heard one side of
the story. Note the story of Prophet David judging the dispute between two shepards.
http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/dawud.html
12. It is wrong to say with any certainty that a person "is going to hell."
13. In my opinion, it is useful to represent yourself online, seeing as hiding is something people
GREATLY try to do on the web, which hinders understanding, communication and empathy.
14. Check your arguements to make sure they make sense before you argue them.
15. Turning away from Islam is ultimately the responsibility of the sinner. Do not blame others.
16. It's not "okay to sin." (seems obvious, but.....) Just because we are human and we all sin does not mean that we should accept, welcome, love, or encourage sin. It is always a burden on the shoulders of the sinner; it is always something to seek Forgiveness for; it is always something to repent from. Oh, it's also not okay to start spreading the word that certain sins are not sins, just because you don't feel like they are anymore.
17. Do not state that if other muslims annoy you too much, you want no part of Islam either,
authu bileh.
18. It is appropriate to warn, in general, against behaviors that have been known to lead one
astray. Not to point fingers - but to speak directly to someone you have wish to communicate
with.
19. An illogical, inappropriate arguement is, "who are YOU to point fingers?" The whole "he who
has not sinned may cast the first stone" is a Christian ideology. You don't have to wait until
you are perfect, or superiorly pious (although one might be, inshaAllah, in order to be moved
by wayward behaviour) in order to address someone about what they should not be doing.
Those who say nothing may simply not care. Or, they might not be thinking deeply about the
larger repercussions of saying nothing.
20. In my opinion, it's a bunch p.c. bologna to say, "Let's not pass judgement!" about someone who's doing something wrong. Here's the deal: we're judging the sin. When we speak out against a sin, we're not saying one who sins "is a bad person." We care about the sinner. All souls, all people, are worth weight and worth guiding. (The whole "love the sinner, not the sin" is an acceptable concept as long as the sinner is in the fold of Islam.) So don't you worry - we're not casting anyone out, we're not castrating anyone from society - but we are judging behaviour. This is important. Judging between right and wrong is crucial. It does not mean we do not sympathize with the sinner. It simply means we must make clear which behaviors are wrong. We still love our friends, our loved ones - but we have criteria (religion) to judge their actions in this life, and to remind them about what is right and wrong.
The reason: to practice submission to the One God on the path of light that He has shown us: Islam.
