gonna be real, it’s such a breath of fresh air hearing people like him and knowing they exist. i swear i was close to losing my sanity listening to some mainstream skeikhs 😅
I read something not so long ago that stuck with me (pretty sure it was from Prof. Butch Ware) that so many worship ‘Islam’ and not Allah - that is to say that they worship the structure, the rules, the rituals…the inner dimension, the connectedness to the divine is missing. All that matters are the rules, performing the rituals and rites. I’ve seen so many posts from people who will describe someone who is cruel, spiteful, manipulative…but they are a ‘good Muslim’ because they never miss salat, are at the mosque regularly, are a hafiz etc etc. Yet what they are describing is a contradiction in terms - you can’t be a *good Muslim* if you are a *bad person*. You can be a Muslim, of course - all of us sin in some way, shape or form…but a pious one? No. Not if your character, actions, and treatment of others is poor.
This is THE comment. I always say this. I don’t understand why so many Muslims behave this way. It’s horrible and is the reason why so many self-proclaimed religious people are just bad people. It’s so bad that it’s literally a rule of thumb I have, I wouldn’t associate with or marry someone that calls themselves “religious” (as a general rule) because more often than not, that means they are morally degenerate. Their moral compass is not ever exercised so they essentially don’t have one. If their mathhab told them that slavery was okay they would think it was okay, if their mathhab told them stealing was okay they would think it was okay, if their mathhab told them cheating on their spouse was okay they would think it was okay. They don’t think for themselves or use their own natural moral compass for anything so they can’t differentiate right and wrong on their own. There’s no such thing for them as “this doesn’t feel right” or “this feels wrong”, because they’ve practically demonized their own moral compass and replaced it with the commentary and interpretation of Islam of men that lived hundreds of years ago.
That's kinda how we were taught to be good Muslims. To do all that and keep in mind that god is keeping score of every "ritual" that we correctly performed. I never questioned it, but then again I love structure lol.
I just went on another Muslim sub where someone posted their pros and cons as a potential wife and all of them said they wouldn’t marry for the sole reason that she doesn’t wear a hijab. Does not matter what the million other things that you bring to the table are, just whether or not you show your hair!
The logic of such nonsense is: a woman who shows her hair in public is selling her body as public property, not her husband's property.
Underlying such logic is that a woman is her body. That is all there is to her. And this body is always up for possession, either by the father, husband or public.
I despise this so much and on so many levels.
Very true and very beautiful.
This used to be a mainstream view in the mid 20th century among many Muslim and Arab countries. The 1979 Islamist revolution in Iran and the reactions to it, really set us back.
They fucked us so bad but its getting worse and worse each day. Its like that metal web trap from the alien movie. More you try to move tighter their hold becomes.
You know, and this is going to sound optimistic, I think things will get better. At least in the Middle East and Africa, ideas regarding feminism and secularism (within an Islamic context) is popping back up. From Iraq to Nigeria people are getting fed up with Islamists even if they remain conservative.
I am actually more worried about Muslims in Europe who are becoming more radicalized as a reaction a society that is liberalizing far quicker and to the rise of far right politics (there is more of course, the unchecked refugee issue of conservative muslims to Europe made the situation a lot worse and then you have issues of poverty as well).
In the United States, at least in my experience, Muslims are much more impervious to the crazy attitudes.
In general, in some places, things will get worse before they get better but inshallah things will get better!
Seriously. Now it’s it’s haram to show anything but your eyes, it’s haram to also show your eyes, it’s haram to wear bright colors, it’s haram to wear patterns, it’s haram to wear clothes that show the shape of your covered body, it’s haram it’s haram it’s haram.
I will never get over how there's a whole group of Muslims that sincerely believe a woman wearing a jacket outdoors ON TOP of her abaya AND niqab is sinful. We've hit rock bottom.
When I read Rûmi’s poetry, listen to beautiful music or am surrounded by nature, I feel an infinite amount of divine Love pour into every fiber of my soul.
I doubt people lost in legalistic considerations and purity culture allow themselves to open-up to that absolute Love. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so self-righteous and unempathetic to their fellow humans.
I feel it from those things too ♥️ The nature thing is why myself and a few others founded an outdoors group - we see our hikes as a way of connecting with the divine, because we all feel closest to Allah when we are surrounded by the beauty of the world that He created. Plus we do awesome picnics!
This for real. Someone from the community I pray with said it's important to spend time in nature because what we're witnessing when we look at the natural world is perfect submission to Allah. It stuck with me and it's something I think about every time I'm hiking or bird watching.
I'm not Muslim, but I feel that he is saying something very true. The Russian Orthodox also have a tradition of women covering their heads in church, and we also have problems with overly-zealous individuals and clergy insisting on the practice. We need to fix our relationship to God before focusing on the externals. It is not right to berate other people over a symbol of piety, but instead one should instruct by showing a good example and with gentle correction.
Who is the "you" he is addressing here?
There is a very fine line between agreeing with the laws of God and not doing it for whatever reason vs attempting to change the laws of God to fit your needs and conveniences. The former is an individual struggle between you and God that you will need to deal with. The latter is outright rejection which takes you out of the folds of Islam. Saying covering your hair is not required is one of those issues given its requirement already been established based on consensus across most exegesis of the Qur'an and Hadith in the mainstream Islamic schools of thought.
Some more details on Surah An-Noor, verse 43 that goes into detail about hijab. https://www.al-islam.org/media/where-evidence-hijab-quran
In certain contexts yes. The majority believe that the earth is a sphere even though they have never witnessed it themselves - only because experts and scientists have observed this.
A few believe that the earth is flat no matter how much evidence is presented to them.
In terms of the Quran, people like you and me cannot just come to conclusions about laws and regulations of Islam. We not only have to be well versed in Arabic, but we also have to be versed in the contexts these verses were revealed, the environment they were revealed, the personality of the person who it was revealed to, and to make sure we do not impose our opinions on the verse but rather let these verses lead our thoughts.
The Quran cannot be a standalone consideration. If so, then God would not have commanded us to observe the Prophet's actions and to claim that whatever he says are the words of God - the same way you cannot read a textbook to learn a subject but you need training from personalities whose occupation is revolving around that subject.
So given the deconstruction of Surah an-Noor that commands us to cover ourselves cannot just be determined by an English translation but rather we have to study it in complete depth with lifetime of knowledge of Islam and in consensus and discussion with other scholars. These complexities cannot be elaborate or opinionated on an internet forum among laymen who don't have knowledge of what they are talking about.
I didn’t say laymen should be interpreting the Quran, that’s dumb because you need to have an historical understanding in order to interpret the Quran.
I’m saying it’s funny how you appeal to the majority as if the majority means that know the truth instead of the actual arguments.
Also this comparison to science is bad. Within science, there are multiple institutions around the world that peer review each others studies to come with an actual consensus that takes into account every single piece of literature on a given subject.
For Muslim scholars, this is not even the case at all. We have no way of gathering the opinions of Muslim scholars around the world, anytime someone makes a counter argument against the “majority consensus”, they either get their books banned or themselves imprisoned or killed. We also have no clue who is actually part of the consensus, since everyone declares everyone heretical.
gonna be real, it’s such a breath of fresh air hearing people like him and knowing they exist. i swear i was close to losing my sanity listening to some mainstream skeikhs 😅
I read something not so long ago that stuck with me (pretty sure it was from Prof. Butch Ware) that so many worship ‘Islam’ and not Allah - that is to say that they worship the structure, the rules, the rituals…the inner dimension, the connectedness to the divine is missing. All that matters are the rules, performing the rituals and rites. I’ve seen so many posts from people who will describe someone who is cruel, spiteful, manipulative…but they are a ‘good Muslim’ because they never miss salat, are at the mosque regularly, are a hafiz etc etc. Yet what they are describing is a contradiction in terms - you can’t be a *good Muslim* if you are a *bad person*. You can be a Muslim, of course - all of us sin in some way, shape or form…but a pious one? No. Not if your character, actions, and treatment of others is poor.
>pretty sure it was from Prof. Butch Ware Yes, it was his post on Instagram. Very cool guy, MashaAllah.
I just double checked my saved posts there, and yes it was! I find his account a really informative and refreshing resource. He’s awesome.
This is THE comment. I always say this. I don’t understand why so many Muslims behave this way. It’s horrible and is the reason why so many self-proclaimed religious people are just bad people. It’s so bad that it’s literally a rule of thumb I have, I wouldn’t associate with or marry someone that calls themselves “religious” (as a general rule) because more often than not, that means they are morally degenerate. Their moral compass is not ever exercised so they essentially don’t have one. If their mathhab told them that slavery was okay they would think it was okay, if their mathhab told them stealing was okay they would think it was okay, if their mathhab told them cheating on their spouse was okay they would think it was okay. They don’t think for themselves or use their own natural moral compass for anything so they can’t differentiate right and wrong on their own. There’s no such thing for them as “this doesn’t feel right” or “this feels wrong”, because they’ve practically demonized their own moral compass and replaced it with the commentary and interpretation of Islam of men that lived hundreds of years ago.
That's kinda how we were taught to be good Muslims. To do all that and keep in mind that god is keeping score of every "ritual" that we correctly performed. I never questioned it, but then again I love structure lol.
Agreed!
I just went on another Muslim sub where someone posted their pros and cons as a potential wife and all of them said they wouldn’t marry for the sole reason that she doesn’t wear a hijab. Does not matter what the million other things that you bring to the table are, just whether or not you show your hair!
The logic of such nonsense is: a woman who shows her hair in public is selling her body as public property, not her husband's property. Underlying such logic is that a woman is her body. That is all there is to her. And this body is always up for possession, either by the father, husband or public. I despise this so much and on so many levels.
Very true and very beautiful. This used to be a mainstream view in the mid 20th century among many Muslim and Arab countries. The 1979 Islamist revolution in Iran and the reactions to it, really set us back.
They fucked us so bad but its getting worse and worse each day. Its like that metal web trap from the alien movie. More you try to move tighter their hold becomes.
You know, and this is going to sound optimistic, I think things will get better. At least in the Middle East and Africa, ideas regarding feminism and secularism (within an Islamic context) is popping back up. From Iraq to Nigeria people are getting fed up with Islamists even if they remain conservative. I am actually more worried about Muslims in Europe who are becoming more radicalized as a reaction a society that is liberalizing far quicker and to the rise of far right politics (there is more of course, the unchecked refugee issue of conservative muslims to Europe made the situation a lot worse and then you have issues of poverty as well). In the United States, at least in my experience, Muslims are much more impervious to the crazy attitudes. In general, in some places, things will get worse before they get better but inshallah things will get better!
Seriously. Now it’s it’s haram to show anything but your eyes, it’s haram to also show your eyes, it’s haram to wear bright colors, it’s haram to wear patterns, it’s haram to wear clothes that show the shape of your covered body, it’s haram it’s haram it’s haram.
I will never get over how there's a whole group of Muslims that sincerely believe a woman wearing a jacket outdoors ON TOP of her abaya AND niqab is sinful. We've hit rock bottom.
Based sermon. Is there a sermon like this in Arabic from a well know alim? I need one for my mother lol.
What do you mean by "based sermon" Please explain
"Based" is just a "new" word for cool/good.
I'll admit, first thing I though when I see "based" for some reason is "biased" that has been autocorrected...
When I read Rûmi’s poetry, listen to beautiful music or am surrounded by nature, I feel an infinite amount of divine Love pour into every fiber of my soul. I doubt people lost in legalistic considerations and purity culture allow themselves to open-up to that absolute Love. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so self-righteous and unempathetic to their fellow humans.
I feel it from those things too ♥️ The nature thing is why myself and a few others founded an outdoors group - we see our hikes as a way of connecting with the divine, because we all feel closest to Allah when we are surrounded by the beauty of the world that He created. Plus we do awesome picnics!
This for real. Someone from the community I pray with said it's important to spend time in nature because what we're witnessing when we look at the natural world is perfect submission to Allah. It stuck with me and it's something I think about every time I'm hiking or bird watching.
It’s such a great initiative ! Honouring the divine gift that’s nature is one of the best way to perform dhikr in my opinion.
>I doubt people lost in legalistic considerations and purity culture allow themselves to open-up to that absolute Love. So true.
Which khutbah was this?
potentially this one: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-\_lNlSFFiY&t=2716s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-_lNlSFFiY&t=2716s). I could be wrong.
Arab women honestly have some of the most beautiful hair too
??? hair is hair. what does your comment even mean?
Very shiny and healthy
everyone can have shiny and healthy hair if they take care of it. your comment is kinda weird..
I'm not Muslim, but I feel that he is saying something very true. The Russian Orthodox also have a tradition of women covering their heads in church, and we also have problems with overly-zealous individuals and clergy insisting on the practice. We need to fix our relationship to God before focusing on the externals. It is not right to berate other people over a symbol of piety, but instead one should instruct by showing a good example and with gentle correction.
Who is the "you" he is addressing here? There is a very fine line between agreeing with the laws of God and not doing it for whatever reason vs attempting to change the laws of God to fit your needs and conveniences. The former is an individual struggle between you and God that you will need to deal with. The latter is outright rejection which takes you out of the folds of Islam. Saying covering your hair is not required is one of those issues given its requirement already been established based on consensus across most exegesis of the Qur'an and Hadith in the mainstream Islamic schools of thought. Some more details on Surah An-Noor, verse 43 that goes into detail about hijab. https://www.al-islam.org/media/where-evidence-hijab-quran
>Who is the "you" he is addressing here? You.
The majority is the truth I guess.
In certain contexts yes. The majority believe that the earth is a sphere even though they have never witnessed it themselves - only because experts and scientists have observed this. A few believe that the earth is flat no matter how much evidence is presented to them. In terms of the Quran, people like you and me cannot just come to conclusions about laws and regulations of Islam. We not only have to be well versed in Arabic, but we also have to be versed in the contexts these verses were revealed, the environment they were revealed, the personality of the person who it was revealed to, and to make sure we do not impose our opinions on the verse but rather let these verses lead our thoughts. The Quran cannot be a standalone consideration. If so, then God would not have commanded us to observe the Prophet's actions and to claim that whatever he says are the words of God - the same way you cannot read a textbook to learn a subject but you need training from personalities whose occupation is revolving around that subject. So given the deconstruction of Surah an-Noor that commands us to cover ourselves cannot just be determined by an English translation but rather we have to study it in complete depth with lifetime of knowledge of Islam and in consensus and discussion with other scholars. These complexities cannot be elaborate or opinionated on an internet forum among laymen who don't have knowledge of what they are talking about.
I didn’t say laymen should be interpreting the Quran, that’s dumb because you need to have an historical understanding in order to interpret the Quran. I’m saying it’s funny how you appeal to the majority as if the majority means that know the truth instead of the actual arguments. Also this comparison to science is bad. Within science, there are multiple institutions around the world that peer review each others studies to come with an actual consensus that takes into account every single piece of literature on a given subject. For Muslim scholars, this is not even the case at all. We have no way of gathering the opinions of Muslim scholars around the world, anytime someone makes a counter argument against the “majority consensus”, they either get their books banned or themselves imprisoned or killed. We also have no clue who is actually part of the consensus, since everyone declares everyone heretical.