Prayer and Foliage/Compassion and Consistency
Aaria Ahmed October 29, 2003
#1 Posted by rozaiba on October 29, 2003 10:32:13 am
Good comparison.
I agree with Sufi T. And no, it`s not cause he`s a Sufi. But because prayers need to be made subservient to actions. Prayers are overdone, and a favorite strategy of escapists Muslims who cannot cope with reality and the larger worldly aims and challenges of religious teachings.
It would be far nicer and inspirational if rather than say `I pray the hungry get food`, one instead says `This month, I`ll feed the hungry (for iftari maybe).` A call for action rather than worthless prayers. What would be even better is to have ACTIONS followed by prayers rather than vice versa.
Secondly, granted I love the Rs. 200 iftari specials at Copper Kettle (God knows I do!) during ramzaan, but why should this month be used as an excuse for inaction?
And both of you:
It`s spelled `ramzaan`. Not `ramadaan`. Thanks.
I agree with Sufi T. And no, it`s not cause he`s a Sufi. But because prayers need to be made subservient to actions. Prayers are overdone, and a favorite strategy of escapists Muslims who cannot cope with reality and the larger worldly aims and challenges of religious teachings.
It would be far nicer and inspirational if rather than say `I pray the hungry get food`, one instead says `This month, I`ll feed the hungry (for iftari maybe).` A call for action rather than worthless prayers. What would be even better is to have ACTIONS followed by prayers rather than vice versa.
Secondly, granted I love the Rs. 200 iftari specials at Copper Kettle (God knows I do!) during ramzaan, but why should this month be used as an excuse for inaction?
And both of you:
It`s spelled `ramzaan`. Not `ramadaan`. Thanks.
reply to this interact
write a new interact
add to favorites
flag objectionable content
#2 Posted by Ansari on October 29, 2003 10:33:43 am
Aaria: beautiful. and ameen to all, except that sometimes countries act to subjugate religion to political will, making it incumbent on us to oppose them for the sake of spiritual freedom. God bless!
t: will answer two of your questions but before that would like to reiterate what we spoke about earlier this evening. Islam means peace through submission to One God. One God means One people. Perhaps it`s better for us to concentrate on the meaning and implications of this statement rather than bringing up contentious issues for debate.
- Is it more important to be a good Muslim or a good person?
I think it`s more important for me to be a good Muslim because, (a) that obligates me to be a good person and (b) that allows me to realise my own independent relationship with my Creator.
- Which is a higher priority in your life Huqooq ul Ibad or Haqooq Allah?
Both are equally important and for a good Muslim, one cannot exist without the other. They are complementary to each other and practise of one nourishes the other. Together, they define a person`s relationship with his/her Creator.
t: will answer two of your questions but before that would like to reiterate what we spoke about earlier this evening. Islam means peace through submission to One God. One God means One people. Perhaps it`s better for us to concentrate on the meaning and implications of this statement rather than bringing up contentious issues for debate.
- Is it more important to be a good Muslim or a good person?
I think it`s more important for me to be a good Muslim because, (a) that obligates me to be a good person and (b) that allows me to realise my own independent relationship with my Creator.
- Which is a higher priority in your life Huqooq ul Ibad or Haqooq Allah?
Both are equally important and for a good Muslim, one cannot exist without the other. They are complementary to each other and practise of one nourishes the other. Together, they define a person`s relationship with his/her Creator.
#3 Posted by Malyck on October 29, 2003 10:53:58 am
RAMADHAN OR RAMAZAN ....WHATEVER ..... IS AN EXCELLENT EXCUSE TO END CREDIT CARD LIMIT ON DINING OUT AND EXCESSIVE SHOPPING FOR EID..........MAN I AM LOVING IT ;-)
MULLAHZ .....CAN WE HAVE IT FOUR TIMES A YEAR ........PLZZZZZZ
MULLAHZ .....CAN WE HAVE IT FOUR TIMES A YEAR ........PLZZZZZZ
#4 Posted by Pardaisi on October 29, 2003 10:53:59 am
#1
So if you are from Pakistan you will say `ramzaan` and an Arab would say `ramadaan` am I correct ?
So if you are from Pakistan you will say `ramzaan` and an Arab would say `ramadaan` am I correct ?
#5 Posted by saminshah on October 29, 2003 11:10:22 am
``+ Is it more important to be a good Muslim or a good person? ``
ofcource i choose to be good person because I know if I want to be good muslim then i have to enlist to some terrorist camp.
ofcource i choose to be good person because I know if I want to be good muslim then i have to enlist to some terrorist camp.
#6 Posted by aaria on October 29, 2003 1:16:54 pm
I obviously don`t believe prayers are useless and never was it stated that action was meaningless. Prayer should be done in addition to action.
Secondly, In Arabic the month is pronounced as Ramadaan, not Ramzan, hence the spelling.
Secondly, In Arabic the month is pronounced as Ramadaan, not Ramzan, hence the spelling.
#7 Posted by wajahat on October 30, 2003 7:32:30 am
+ What does it mean to be a Muslim?
It means that I am part of a religion that is based on the final word of god. It means that in the world today I have a certain responsibility, towards my co-religionist and those who view us with contempt. That responsibility is to educate both sides, but always favour the truth. The truth is on the side of the side of the Westerner who asks our region to give women more rights and liberties and make them part of our progress and future. And it is also on the side of the Palestinian who asks us for humanity and not silence in the hour of their need.
+ In what way are you different?
I am not different to anyone. The fact is that the difference is between our human conditions, our humanity. My weaknesses stem from the fact that I am Human and thus like any other human in this world. Islam states that a Muslim is someone who respects all beliefs, translating as differences.
+ If you were not born in a Muslim family what would you be?
I would be whoever my parents were, but knowing Islam Like I do I would still consider it a way of life which is much more simpler than the alternatives, with all due respect to all alternatives.
+ Is it more important to be a good Muslim or a good person?
That is the distinction people muddle with the onset of the religious fundamentalists. What else does Islam teach you but to be a better Human Being, be more humane. The fact that our theologists today have forgotten the importance of “IJTIHAD” has meant that people can ask the question that you ask. There is a difference between a backward looking Fundamentalist and a Good Muslim.
+ What does jehad mean to you?
It means to battle with inner demons of greed, gluttony, lust, hate, prejudice and all the other evils that live in men’s heart. In times where our nations and our people are in risk of pillaging by a foreign nation, Jehad is the War to protect our freedom. But in this world, the Americans can invade nations and murder millions and still call it “ Enduring Freedom” and when an Iraqi fights back he becomes a terrorist Jehadi. What Ironic Double standards do we breed in our hearts. Flying a plane into a building full of innocents is NOT jehad, fighting an occupation in our land is.
+ Do you pray because you want to or because you have to?
I pray because in it, I find the peace in the thought that I have thanked God for the immense amount of happiness he has given to me in form of the people, the comforts, the love that’s surrounds me. True the ritual of prayer can be repetitive, yet the feeling of completion of one’s day, the feeling that you have at least done one good thing in your day is worth having. And as humans to stand up proud all day, fighting the fights of life and forever upright in our composure it feels good to be humble and kneel in front of God. Bring oneself down to who we really are, just a hand full of dust.
+ Are you a good corporate citizen?
Interesting the use of the word corporate, I guess the audience here is made up of “Corporate” Citizens. No talk about the millions who suffer the humiliation of that stark reality called poverty. But then if I am a good corporate citizen than I am the silenced, neutered, comfortable part of the corporate community, the price of whose ignorance is paid by the wretched of the earth. The Non-Corporate Citizens.
+ Are you considerate to other life forms?
Yes.
+ Should charity be exclusively to Muslims?
It should be exclusive to the Africans who die of aids, the Palestinians who die of ethnic cleansing , the Gujrati Muslims who die of religious persecution. It should be exclusive to the weak who are murdered at the whim of the powerful.
+ Do you volunteer & help those in need?
To our extent we do, although in this Globalized world, we have been made into selfish self serving and to quote the author “ Corporate” entities bend upon our own needs and undercutting each other to maximise our profitability. Charity and Volunteering is a pursuit for freer times.
+ Do you endeavor to be a better insaan than your neighbors?
Is being better a competition?
+ Which is a higher priority in your life Huqooq ul Ibad or Haqooq Allah?
So let me ask you, a mother tenders a child and the child grows up and then a question is put to him, in a position of conflict with his own requirements and his mother’s. Whose requirement should he be more considerate of, his own or his mothers. And Allah is the one who gives us everything from the day we were conceived to the day we die and in the after life.
It means that I am part of a religion that is based on the final word of god. It means that in the world today I have a certain responsibility, towards my co-religionist and those who view us with contempt. That responsibility is to educate both sides, but always favour the truth. The truth is on the side of the side of the Westerner who asks our region to give women more rights and liberties and make them part of our progress and future. And it is also on the side of the Palestinian who asks us for humanity and not silence in the hour of their need.
+ In what way are you different?
I am not different to anyone. The fact is that the difference is between our human conditions, our humanity. My weaknesses stem from the fact that I am Human and thus like any other human in this world. Islam states that a Muslim is someone who respects all beliefs, translating as differences.
+ If you were not born in a Muslim family what would you be?
I would be whoever my parents were, but knowing Islam Like I do I would still consider it a way of life which is much more simpler than the alternatives, with all due respect to all alternatives.
+ Is it more important to be a good Muslim or a good person?
That is the distinction people muddle with the onset of the religious fundamentalists. What else does Islam teach you but to be a better Human Being, be more humane. The fact that our theologists today have forgotten the importance of “IJTIHAD” has meant that people can ask the question that you ask. There is a difference between a backward looking Fundamentalist and a Good Muslim.
+ What does jehad mean to you?
It means to battle with inner demons of greed, gluttony, lust, hate, prejudice and all the other evils that live in men’s heart. In times where our nations and our people are in risk of pillaging by a foreign nation, Jehad is the War to protect our freedom. But in this world, the Americans can invade nations and murder millions and still call it “ Enduring Freedom” and when an Iraqi fights back he becomes a terrorist Jehadi. What Ironic Double standards do we breed in our hearts. Flying a plane into a building full of innocents is NOT jehad, fighting an occupation in our land is.
+ Do you pray because you want to or because you have to?
I pray because in it, I find the peace in the thought that I have thanked God for the immense amount of happiness he has given to me in form of the people, the comforts, the love that’s surrounds me. True the ritual of prayer can be repetitive, yet the feeling of completion of one’s day, the feeling that you have at least done one good thing in your day is worth having. And as humans to stand up proud all day, fighting the fights of life and forever upright in our composure it feels good to be humble and kneel in front of God. Bring oneself down to who we really are, just a hand full of dust.
+ Are you a good corporate citizen?
Interesting the use of the word corporate, I guess the audience here is made up of “Corporate” Citizens. No talk about the millions who suffer the humiliation of that stark reality called poverty. But then if I am a good corporate citizen than I am the silenced, neutered, comfortable part of the corporate community, the price of whose ignorance is paid by the wretched of the earth. The Non-Corporate Citizens.
+ Are you considerate to other life forms?
Yes.
+ Should charity be exclusively to Muslims?
It should be exclusive to the Africans who die of aids, the Palestinians who die of ethnic cleansing , the Gujrati Muslims who die of religious persecution. It should be exclusive to the weak who are murdered at the whim of the powerful.
+ Do you volunteer & help those in need?
To our extent we do, although in this Globalized world, we have been made into selfish self serving and to quote the author “ Corporate” entities bend upon our own needs and undercutting each other to maximise our profitability. Charity and Volunteering is a pursuit for freer times.
+ Do you endeavor to be a better insaan than your neighbors?
Is being better a competition?
+ Which is a higher priority in your life Huqooq ul Ibad or Haqooq Allah?
So let me ask you, a mother tenders a child and the child grows up and then a question is put to him, in a position of conflict with his own requirements and his mother’s. Whose requirement should he be more considerate of, his own or his mothers. And Allah is the one who gives us everything from the day we were conceived to the day we die and in the after life.
#8 Posted by dreamz on October 30, 2003 9:37:16 am
Nice Work Aariya :)
Dua is the essense of worship. Dua is the direct communication with Allah, and Allah is multilingual. Allah also knows what`s hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts. Those feelings of pain, anguish, resentment, love, hatred, bitterness, longing, etc. that we so successfully hide from everyone else, including our closest family members and friends.
So why not let it all out. Why not let Allah be our ``therapist``. Let our prayer mat be our ``couch`` while we reveal and ask the One who is in control, Who knows us better than we know ourselves, for all that we want in these days and especially, nights, of Ramadan :)
Dua is the essense of worship. Dua is the direct communication with Allah, and Allah is multilingual. Allah also knows what`s hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts. Those feelings of pain, anguish, resentment, love, hatred, bitterness, longing, etc. that we so successfully hide from everyone else, including our closest family members and friends.
So why not let it all out. Why not let Allah be our ``therapist``. Let our prayer mat be our ``couch`` while we reveal and ask the One who is in control, Who knows us better than we know ourselves, for all that we want in these days and especially, nights, of Ramadan :)
#9 Posted by Malyck on October 30, 2003 10:53:22 am
MY X-DRIVER`S NAME USED BE RAMAZAN................LOLZ
#10 Posted by lunatic on October 30, 2003 10:29:07 pm
dreamz,
Dua may be the essense of worship, but the million-dollar question is, Does dua change anything in the physical world? Can it feed the hungry? Can it get me a job? Can it stop a robbery? And finally, can it save the life of a dying person? Iqbal tried to answer this question when he wrote:
Teri dua se qazaa to nahi`n badal sakti
magar hae is se yeh mumkin ke tou badal jaaye
Dua is nothing, and I mean nothing, but a psychological aid given to us for strengthening our spiritual selves, so that we are better ``equipped`` to solve the problems of the physical world. However, when religions degenerate into lifeless rituals (as has happened with all the great religions of the world, and Islam is no exception), dua merely serves as a tool of self deception for ``escapist muslims``--to borrow from Rozaiba.
Regards.
Dua may be the essense of worship, but the million-dollar question is, Does dua change anything in the physical world? Can it feed the hungry? Can it get me a job? Can it stop a robbery? And finally, can it save the life of a dying person? Iqbal tried to answer this question when he wrote:
Teri dua se qazaa to nahi`n badal sakti
magar hae is se yeh mumkin ke tou badal jaaye
Dua is nothing, and I mean nothing, but a psychological aid given to us for strengthening our spiritual selves, so that we are better ``equipped`` to solve the problems of the physical world. However, when religions degenerate into lifeless rituals (as has happened with all the great religions of the world, and Islam is no exception), dua merely serves as a tool of self deception for ``escapist muslims``--to borrow from Rozaiba.
Regards.
#11 Posted by temporal on October 31, 2003 5:35:54 am
rozaiba
…what’s in a name?:)…as long as we understand it is not about abstaining from food and drinks…and it is a culmination of year long activities…not a month long abstinence that permits an eleven month pervasive escape, orgy and abandonment!…
aamir
you write …Islam means peace through submission to One God. One God means One people. Perhaps it`s better for us to concentrate on the meaning and implications of this statement rather than bringing up contentious issues for debate.
…I tried to reflect over your statement…tried hard…but got no where…what do you mean by One God means One people?…is this an exclusive Allah…a God of Muslims only?…I am wary of the exclusivist tendencies displayed by some muslims…and some jews and christians too…all the more when we insist he is the Rab-bul-aalameen…
…t
…what’s in a name?:)…as long as we understand it is not about abstaining from food and drinks…and it is a culmination of year long activities…not a month long abstinence that permits an eleven month pervasive escape, orgy and abandonment!…
aamir
you write …Islam means peace through submission to One God. One God means One people. Perhaps it`s better for us to concentrate on the meaning and implications of this statement rather than bringing up contentious issues for debate.
…I tried to reflect over your statement…tried hard…but got no where…what do you mean by One God means One people?…is this an exclusive Allah…a God of Muslims only?…I am wary of the exclusivist tendencies displayed by some muslims…and some jews and christians too…all the more when we insist he is the Rab-bul-aalameen…
…t
#12 Posted by temporal on October 31, 2003 5:54:54 am
wajahat
...thank you for a very thoughtful post…
…re: your query…I wish there was a clear cut answer…on paper…it is easy to say the child should forego his needs and requirement for his mothers…
…to come to Huqooq Allah (HA)and Huqooq ul Ibad (HI)…personally I believe the latter (HI) are equal to, if not preferable over HA…
(if interested there is a concurrent discussion over this on unplugged
…and only by emphasizing on a collective and individual effort to ameliorate and rectify…with a renewed focus on HI… will we be able to by pass and overwhelm the regressive clergy’s stranglehold...
lunatic and others…thanks you
…t
...thank you for a very thoughtful post…
…re: your query…I wish there was a clear cut answer…on paper…it is easy to say the child should forego his needs and requirement for his mothers…
…to come to Huqooq Allah (HA)and Huqooq ul Ibad (HI)…personally I believe the latter (HI) are equal to, if not preferable over HA…
(if interested there is a concurrent discussion over this on unplugged
…and only by emphasizing on a collective and individual effort to ameliorate and rectify…with a renewed focus on HI… will we be able to by pass and overwhelm the regressive clergy’s stranglehold...
lunatic and others…thanks you
…t
#13 Posted by dreamz on October 31, 2003 6:39:23 am
Lunatic,
Dua is no doubt supplication; talking to the Creator. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, ``Even if you see that apocalypse is about to happen and you have a plant in your hand, go ahead and plant it.``
Whatever we want in this life, we must strive for it. Prayers are our statement of intentions. When we act upon them, we score. When we take one step towards God, God takes ten steps towards us. When we walk towards God, God comes to us at speed.
Dua is defined as any invocation or prayer addressed to Allah (SWT). In our times, we find many reasons why people do not make Dua; we forget, don`t know how, or just do not think it will be answered. Fundamental to this is the loss of dependence and trust upon Allah. As Muslims there is something very wrong when we believe our Duas won`t be answered. We do not turn to Allah in our times of need and instead put our trust, dependence and hopes on worldly things that we think will help us. Although these temporal things are the means through which our Duas can be answered, the root of our being should be trained automatically to turn to Allah and not anything or anyone else. Through Dua, we strengthen our Imaan and our relationship with Allah, as well as heighten our awareness of cause and effect that can help inspire and motivate us to be closer to Islam in our lives.
We find many reassurances throughout the Qur`an for those who make Dua. Allah the Exalted, has said:
``And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear your prayer`` (Qur`an 40:60),
``Call upon your Lord Humbly and in secret`` (Qur`an 7:55),
``When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me``
(Qur`an 2:186), ``Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering.`` (Qur`an 27:62)
Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, ``No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated.``
In fact, it is EVEN WRONG TO NEVER make Dua, ``Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him.`` [Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]
One should have expectation, belief with certainty only Allah can answer the Dua. Understanding dependence on Allah and asking with absolute resolve and believing with certainty that one`s Dua will be answered is a also a condition of acceptance. Iqbal even wrote:
Ghulami mai na kaam aati hain shamsheerein na tudbeerein
Jo ho ZAUQ-E-YAKEEN paida... toh kut jaati hain zanjeerein
One shouldn`t be so Heavenly minded... that one does no earthly good. i do believe that some of us just need to get off the ``I believe in God`` bandwagon and onto the ``I have an active, alive faith in God`` wagon. We need to move from simply watching, to doing. But all this is only possible if we have strong Faith.
#14 Posted by rozaiba on October 31, 2003 6:39:24 am
Actions are the only pure form of `dua`. Everything else has the impression of lamentation.
#15 Posted by Ansari on October 31, 2003 7:02:13 am
t: that`s exactly what i mean. He is Rabbul-aalameen (Lord of all the worlds). And the best of us is he or she who is closest to their Creator, through worship and good deeds, dua included.
#16 Posted by RationalFaith on November 1, 2003 10:35:05 pm
May be I can get some truthful answers if I maintain a respectful demeanor. I will not be offensive but please help me out here with what Islam is.
Could you please list the minimum that a person has to do or be to be a Muslim?
Thank you.
Could you please list the minimum that a person has to do or be to be a Muslim?
Thank you.
listing 1-16
1 2
Interact Index
Also by Aaria Ahmed
Similar Articles
- Basant 2002 Rozaiba
- Ramadan Special: The Felicitations of Fasting Asif Naqshbandi
- Prayer and Foliage/Compassion and Consistency Aaria Ahmed
- Diya JalaiN: Light the Lamp Temporal
- Broken-Hearts, Dream-Filled eyes Hamid Mahmood
Swat: Paradise Lost
Get Chowk RSS FeedLatest Interacts
- javedhaddi: parthab you are asking... A Very Costly Bill
- iron_mask: Re: # 19 that... My Lover Girl
- iron_mask: Padash, interesting character. I like... My Lover Girl
- pinku: rahul_capri, if you do... Cross Stitch Therapy
- pinku: #2 Posted by GB123... Cross Stitch Therapy
- freehussaini: The rich have learned... Ali Ki Tasbeeh
- Skeptical: Good read. Thank God... My Lover Girl
- pinku: [[ #10 Posted by rahul_capri... Cross Stitch Therapy
