I took Shahadah last month. July 23rd, actually. . . Who would have ever thought I would be following a major, organized religion?! :-)
In case you don't know, Shahadah is a declaration that you make in order to become a Muslim. All that needs to be said (with sincerity) is "La ilaha ila Allah. Mohammad Rasuallah." This is Arabic for, "There is no god but Allah. Mohammad is Allah's messenger."
The man who leads the Qur'an study I attend every Friday (Hassan) asked me if I would like to take Shahadah publicly in from of the Qur'an study participants. I agreed and did it yesterday. Everyone was thrilled! It felt nice to have my decision embraced. It feels amazing being in the presence of other with a common goal, outlook, and understanding. Not to mention, we are all fasting for Ramadan, so we were all thirsty, weak, and very hungry, too. ;-)
Before I left that evening to go home, I was informed of Ghusl. This is a full ritual washing you do after certain occasions, one of which being conversion to Islam. Others include sex, your cycle (for women), giving birth, etc. The details of this washing are outlined in a hadith (something seen or heard by someone who knew or was around the Prophet Mohammad).
Let me say this: I know very little of hadiths. I do know, though, that the Qur'an is a full and COMPLETE book on it's own. Why would I listen to what someone's son's daughter heard the Prophet say? I am not saying all hadiths are invalid. I'm just saying that I do not believe that Allah left anything out of the Qur'an that was to be followed or heard. If Muslims need to do certain things or perform certain rituals, why would they not be outlined in the Qur'an? Isn't Allah Al-Aleem (All-Knowing), Al-Khabeer (All-Aware), Al-Hakim (The-Wise), Al-Qadir (All-Omnipotent), Al-Akkir (The Last), Al-Awwal (The First)? If these are Allah's names, and not "The Incomplete," why should we look to hadiths for requirements?
It is a wonderful and honorable thing to mold your life after the Prophet, and I'm positive Allah will reward those who try/do, but I do not think that any requirements set in the hadiths are as important or necessary as what is revealed in the Qur'an.
Back to Ghusl: one sister informed me that to do this washing properly, I would have to clean every single inch, including the hole in my ear where earrings enter, and remove my nail polish so that water can touch my actual nailbed. I cannot accept this. With all my imagination, I cannot see Allah thinking one is unclean after a full body washing because she is wearing nail polish.
I personally take hadiths with a grain of salt. Like I said before, I do not believe all hadiths are invalid, I just don't accept them as readily as the Qur'an and as I see most Muslims do.
I agree completely! I had typed out a nice lengthy comment but my internet is acting up, so here's my two cents.
ReplyDelete1. Astaghfirullah if my Shellac manicure is unacceptable.
2. Black hair dye was supposedly used by prostitutes in the Prophet Mohamed's (s.a.w.s.) time. Sorry I don't have a source. I like my hair black. It's naturally dark brown. Other hair colors are permissible. Why not black? It's not in the Qur'an. I have no desire to appear as a prostitute. The same can be said of bleach for blond hair!
3. "Allah intends for you ease, and does not want to make things difficult for you" [2:185]; and "Allah does not want to place you in difficulty" [5:6].
A good friend reminds me of this when I get frustrated about what is the general view on certain things.
4. I respect and admire the hadiths, but only AFTER I have fulfilled the obligations set for me in the Qur'an. I don't think I will let them keep me from doing things not clearly stated as haram or makruh.
Jannah mua - That's awesome you see my side of it! Although, be aware that most Muslims, I've discovered, are quite defensive of the hadiths. I've noticed they will fight til the end to say these are just as important as Qur'an.
ReplyDeleteI also heard that hadiths were written down after a lengthy period of time! This is concerning! How much is miscommunicated after passed down. Human memory is not flawless. The funny thing is, hadiths are SO detailed. How detailed can you be after X amount of years??
Of course, hadiths did not stop me from become Muslim because that's not what you think about when turning to Islam. Someone once said it is better to take Shahadah even if you have some doubts or some sins you aren't willing to give up. What if you died tomorrow? Would you stand in front of Allah as a Muslim? I thought that was a pretty good point!