I wonder why that is? I wonder why Muslims feel the need to regulate my religion and my beliefs, as if I asked them to, or as if that is their duty. Au contraire, it is a Muslim's duty NOT to interfere with my beliefs and religion:
Quran 109:6 "To you be your Way, and to me mine."
Quran 2:256 "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things."
I must say that it does slightly annoy me, because who are other Muslims to judge my connection and belief in Allah, and my own personal truth? Many Muslims believe that there is only one path to Allah, but if they were to read the Qur'an clearly, they would understand that the only things one must do (as stated over and over in the Qur'an) is to
- Believe in Allah & only worship Allah.
- Believe in the day of judgement.
- Establish regular prayer.
- Establish regular charity.
Maybe Muslims get defensive because they know that my points are valid and their beliefs are ones they have embraced because of Islam the culture, not Islam the religion. (I'll write another blog entry about Islam culture vs. Islam religion.) I really have no other reason I can think of that Muslims get so. . . indignant.
It's sad that I have to refer even Muslims to my post about regulators. If my beliefs offend you, I am sorry you cannot see my point of view, but I will not be changing my outlook for your comfort. You can believe that I am a Muslims or not - either way, it doesn't concern you and you should focus your efforts on other things. If I need advice on religion, I will definitely keep in mind that you are available for me to ask your perspective.
Clearly you have become defensive. People are allowed to speak their minds just as freely as you. Maybe Muslims are a little bit more strict on Muslims because they are trying to look out for them like family, which they are suppose to be. Yes, their are different denominations in Islam as there are in nearly every belief.
ReplyDeletePosting a blog is in a way expressing yourself out to everyone and allowing them to express back. That is the wonderful thing about it. You may think I am backwards in my thinking, but I am who I am. My best friend is the same way, she is Mormon but she has a way of feeling the truth in ways not many can. We do have our own paths to walk to which we become closer to Allah, but there is a simple fact that as much as we may imbrace things as a culture, you have to accept that there are those of us who are older in years than what are age shows and religion is very important to us. Needless to say we are old fashion. We love tradition and culture. When you become Muslim, you are greeted as Sister. You become a sister to an entire nation and you represent that nation.
You may not like our traditional ways, but if it wasn't for them what would your beliefs be based on. If no Holy Books were ever written, then what could you use as your defense.
You are a sister in Islam and May Allah guide you and bless you.
Modest Destiny - The only way to offensive attacks is to naturally, become defensive. When I am being attacks by my "brothers & sisters," because of my own personal beliefs, there is a fundamental problem. It seems as though you might believe that I meant this post for you exclusively, but that is not the case. This is meant for the Muslims who believe that my own religion and faith is not sufficient or correct. I will gladly welcome other people's opinions, but not if they are attacking me by telling me that my own personal relationship with Allah is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you as well as other people do not have the authority to tell me what my relationship with Allah should be. I will be happy to hear what any of you have to say about your own relationships with Allah, but regulating my and/or telling me how I view my own religion is not welcome.
I never said or thought that you were backwards in your thinking in any way, whatsoever. If you have decided to live your life the way that you do, that is between you and Allah and I have absolutely no problem with that. If you are happy with it, I am happy for you. That tends to be the thinking that other people do not agree with. If I am happy and doing things I believe are truth and correct, then others should accept that and move on.
Again, let me emphasize that I have no problem with your traditional ways. I follow what is written in Qur'an and what Allah has made truth. You may follow hadiths and everything that entails that, and I will have absolutely no problem. My life is not your life, and therefore your actions and beliefs have no affect on me. I am happy and very glad that you have found something you truly believe in and that makes you happy.
I never thought this post was meant just for me, Persia.
ReplyDeleteYou are right in stating that the relationship between you and Allah is only between you and Allah, but when you say you are one thing and then talk badly about it, you can make yourself look not so complete. I do believe in being traditional as well as my husband who is very traditional in his faith. Are we perfect? No. Are you perfect? No.
You are young or atleast appear that way. Knowledge is a very powerful thing and maybe because I have study for well over half my life in religion I can be pretty harsh. I grew up in a place where you are forced to be something while the adults around you did differenly. They said the same thing... "Their relationship is between them and G-d alone." Yet in that they thought it was okay to do things that went against what they said they believed in.
I am not saying you are like that, but in some of your remarks that is what it appears to show. After having several different people from different beliefs read some of your post, they seem to say the same thing. Now they are all like me and considered "old", but as a friendly advice maybe you should stop and look.
I can not tell you what you believe is wrong, but I can be friendly in expressing things. I have been called everything from Un-American to things I won't even repeat because of my traditional ways but I get up every morning knowing that every second of my day I devote to Allah. You and I come from two different worlds and in reality that is all that can be said.
No matter what though you will always have to take the bad with all the good.
Modest Destiny - Please give me an example of the following so I can clarify it for you. You said "you say you are one thing and then talk badly about it, you can make yourself look not so complete." What are you referring to, exactly? If you mean I say I am follower of Islam, and then talk badly about it, that is incorrect. I would refer you to back to my posts to re-read if you believe I'm talking badly about my own beliefs. Rather, I am pointing out faults in common beliefs of hadith-followers, which I do not believe are valid.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you do not know who I am on a personal level, and therefore cannot accurately judge who I am, what I've studied, etc. If you did, maybe these conversations with each other would be more fulfilling. Instead, this back-and-forth is based on you assuming quite a bit about me and my life.
Also, please clarify when you say "in some of your remarks, this is what it appears to show," referrencing that I am hypocritical in my beliefs. If you read my posts, you will see how I reference everything back to Qur'an and I am extremely consistant in my beliefs. If you find something that is hypocritical that I have said or gone back on, please let me know, because I genuinely do care. I admit that if my belief is hypocritical and I say one thing and then say something completely different, I would definitely need to analyze what I feel on that contradicted matter. Also, I believe EVERYONE should do that if they find that their teachings or traditions do not run parallel to each other.
The several people you referrenced who are supposedly reading my blogs and are confused are most likely not reading my blogs at all, in the sense that they are not paying attention to the logic behind each post. If these non-Muslims are reading my blog and comparing it to say, a Sunni or Shia or what they have stereotyped or known previously about Muslims, then they are confused because hadith-followers are all they know as "truth." Of course, someone reading a blog for the first time of a Muslim who is not like ones they are used to, I'm sure they have confusion. Especially because they do not know the Qur'an, but fortunately, my blog is written in a way that a non-Muslim will understand if she/he pays attention. If you go in with a mind set that Muslims only come in one way, then you won't pay attention to what I'm saying. I've also had many non-Muslims offering their opinions to me and not being confused at all on my posts.
I agree that you will always have to take the bad with the good. I knew when I created this blog that there would be Muslims who have been taught one way, and do not understand the other side of the coin. I welcome opinions and discussions like yours, actually! A little debate never hurt anyone. ;-) Allah has made me see that differing opinions of others on my personal beliefs should not be viewed as something negative, but rather as something that will strengthen my beliefs. The Qur'an states, “And We shall try you until We make evident those who strive among you and persevere in patience" (47:31) so I am welcoming your opinions and all of that because I know that I am happy with my beliefs and will always hold strong to Allah. :-) <3
Persia, please allow me to remind you of some previous statements you've posted & if this is a case of misunderstanding then I think I for one may owe you an apology or maybe it could be your phrasing is a little off so that may be where all these misunderstandings lie.
ReplyDelete"Yes, the Qur'an says to avoid pork, but then again, the Qur'an was revealed to aspecific peoples in a specific location at a specific time. And again, as we know, different prophets brought specific messages and miracles (from Allah) to specific times and people."
"There is no legitimate reason that one should avoid pork if they do not avoid beef and every other animal. In Mohammed's times, there was not a safe way to prepare pork, AND pork was not a type of animal that was easy to raise in a desert climate. It was incredibly inconvenient, therefore pork was not something the people of that area ate?
Now, these are your statements. Correct? Pretend you are reading your post for the first time and tell me if these statements do not seem as if you have one foot out the door?
I respect that you believe your relationship with Allah is solid but it sure seems as if you're going more by what is logical. You're trying to contradict everything that has ever been said in the Quaran or so that's what it seems in your post and if I'm wrong then please accept my apology. Maybe, my advice to you would to be to post your theories and then at the bottom of your post you should clearly state what you believe in an effort to defend the Quaran as most Muslims/Islams should. The same as most Christians would defend the Bible. To me that's something that Scientists do in order to cast doubt in the public's eye. Believe it or not, I've heard an "atheist" stand up before everyone in my eight grade class and say that the story of Jesus was just made up by some scared little girl, (Mary) because she got herself knocked up and needed an excuse so that she wouldn't be beaten by her father or looked down on by the community. So this atheist believed that the whole thing was just a cover up. I was appalled by that!
So, just a little friendly advice, it's okay to try to make sense of things but maybe you should try to clarify what you believe in as well. Use logic but also post your beliefs too so that way nobody mistakes your words for something else. This is just what I get from reading your blog and I think it's what Modest Destiny gets from your blogs as well and maybe that's why she's having such a hard time understanding what it is you are actually trying to convey or get across.
Also, if I may? From someone who has seen first hand just how bad pork is compared to the other meats that you mentioned like beef and chicken, I must beg to differ on some of these statements. And, please do not be offended because you welcomed any and all comments and this is just my opinion but I am adding a few facts as well. Why should one avoid pork if you're not going to avoid beef or chicken? I said your post are confusing like you have one foot in and one foot out. Because it's like you're basically saying that who ever wrote the Quran was only adding that bit about the pork just because people had no way of preparing it. but it's okay to eat it now because now we have better ways of preparing and keeping it. It seems as if what you're saying is, "Allah's words were good back then but now the times are changing so maybe Allah wouldn't mind now? I have to disagree with that. Is the Quaran not supposed to be God's Word or in your case "Allah's" It seems as if you are following Allah but maybe not to a "T" but that's like taking the Bible and saying that in the Bible it states how we shall not steal but it's okay to take a shampoo or a towel from one of those ritzy hotels just so we can always remember that we were there...and God wont be mad...not for long anyways, after all he is forgiving, right? I may not be muslim but I agree that pork is not good for you anyways. It's loaded with sodium which can cause high blood pressure and can lead to heart attacks and strokes and phosphorous can be found in nearly everything but some foods are lower. Bacon, is so high in phosphorous that it can cause your kidneys to fail especially when you consume it nearly every day because when we age, our kidneys get weaker and our bodies can not filter the extra phosphorous out and it can lead to blood toxicity and it can make you sick to your stomach which can decrease your appetite leading to severe weight loss in the elderly and it can cause itching on top of phosphorous rocks (Phosphorous Deposits) which is a condition often associated with most kidney patients and what it is, is basically, the kidneys don't filter out the extra phosphorous and the phosphorous has to work it's self out some how. It literally works itself out of your body by coming up to the surface of the skin and it's like small hard rocks coming out of your skin. Beef and Chicken, wont do that. Beef and Chicken are lower in phosphorous and sodium. It helps your body make extra red blood cells which can prevent anemia and the protein in those meats can lower blood sugars which can in some cases prevent or slow the process of diabetes. In other words, beef and chicken are the number one healthy meats.
ReplyDeleteBut here's the thing, you say you don't eat pork, right? Then why try to make sense out of something that you don't do anyways? Why not defend the Quaran instead of trying to persuade others that it's okay to eat pork when really I don't think pork is good for anyone and sense my mom has had to go on a strict diet due to her kidney failure, I too have cut out a lot of pork from my diet in support of my mother's needs seeing how I am the one who prepares all the meals. I try to make things that are nutritional and healthy for my family and seeing what all my mom has gone through, I do not want my children or my husband to develop weak kidneys or worse obesity, high cholesterol or diabetes. Couple in the fact that I am Mormon and I already believe that my body is a temple and we shouldn't put things into our bodies that are harmful in any way, like caffeine, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc. In some cases, that includes certain cuts of pork.Fresher cuts of pork chops that do not contain added salts are somewhat lower in phosphorous compared to bacon and pepperoni. I just can't understand what it is you are trying to convey. I get that not all Muslims or Islams avoid pork but I just think everyone should educate themselves on the danger of eating pork.
Allah said to avoid pork because he knew it was bad...period and if I were Muslim or Islamic, I wouldn't try to put a logical twist on things like you seem to do in every single post. Thanks for taking the time to read this and again, if I am wrong or mistaken, please tell me. Clarify your beliefs. Part of being a good writer is knowing what you want your audience to know and writing it so that they know where you are coming from so that they are not confused or mistake anything you do or say for something else. Try to be clear, and precise. As I said before, it's okay to use logic and it's okay to write about something from all perspectives but also I think it would be great if you could incorporate clearly what your beliefs are. Thanks again and I wish you the best.
ReplyDeleteThank you Crystal for stating those things, you are well educated in matters and proud to call you friend.
ReplyDeletePersia, the friends I speak of are those educated in all religions as well as me including different denominations.
I do not know your level of education nor do I know where exactly you stand, but Crystal is right in many aspects of what she had said.
May one day you fully understand, Inshallah
May Allah bless and protect you always!
Thank you Modest Destiny. I am also proud to call you friend as well as you are like minded and perhaps somewhat better educated than I am with your educational background and the fact that you majored in religious studies.
ReplyDeleteI hope I was able to help Persia Understand where the issue lies so that way we can all understand where our friend Persia is coming from. Understanding is key and communication is key and some how or another, I think we have all been misunderstood or mistaken to some extent.
Crystal - I really do appreciate your courtesy in your comments & response. I see what you're saying in your comments about what I was wrote about pork, specifically. I just feel that Muslims justify eating beef & chicken but avoid pork. It seems strange to me & hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteModest Destiny - You & I going back forth is not going to convince each other, which has become obvious.
From now on, I will let you everyone express their opinions & thoughts, & simply answer questions if there are any for me. My posts are my thoughts & opinions & comments are y'alls thoughts & opinions.
Well maybe Muslims choose to avoid Pork because it is stated in the Quaran and they believe that eating Pork is not pleasing to Allah and I can understand their favoring beef and chicken over pork because as I mentioned earlier that pork is very bad for you, Scientist and doctors have proved that over and over again and in the Quaran, it states to avoid Pork but not beef and chicken. So maybe they are trying to do what in their hearts they feel is pleasing to Allah. Not to mention the dangers of eating pork as I mentioned above. Beef and Chicken are simply more healthier than pork. It's not just an opinion and the reason I know so much about it is that I've learned so much from my mom's dieticians and her nephrologist enough to know what you should or shouldn't avoid in your diet. Not everyone is willing to listen to their doctors and that is their personal choice but now that we are on the subject, may I ask, do you avoid beef and chicken as well as pork or just pork alone and why does it seem strange to you? I genuinely would love to know because the more we talk and the more we communicate, the more I understand about you. :)
ReplyDeleteCrystal- yes, the way Americans eat pork I believe is incredibly uhealthy, I agree, but many Asian countries use pork as a main meat in their diet & are considered some of the more healthy peoples in terms of diet.
ReplyDeleteI haven't eaten beef or chicken or pork in over 11 & 1/2 years. If you enjoy reading Crystal, I suggest the book "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. This book is great & was recommended to me by an uncle who is a personal trainer & a nutritionist as well. The author is great & was also in the documentary Food, Inc. Good stuff! Do you enjoy reading? If so, got any good suggestions for me? :-) I welcome them!
China 1,372,834 in 1,298,847,6242
ReplyDeleteAmerica 310,382 in 293,655,4051
Hong Kong 7,245 in 6,855,125
Japan 134,586 in 127,333,0022
I agree then Persia, The way some people eat pork is just sickening, now my family eats pork maybe once or twice a month as a special treat when the family can all be together. My husband works a lot and when those rare times occur that he is off on a Saturday then I will cook a big breakfast for everyone. My mom always goes light and she is now on Peritoneal Dialysis and has to take phosphorous binders with each meal and snack. The numbers that I just posted although they are outdated meaning the actual numbers could be less but then again, they might actually be higher based on the growing populations. As you can clearly see, the number of people in America is actually lower than the number of Kidney Patients in China and places like Hong Kong and Japan are actually lower. I'm wondering if that statistic is higher because of all the pork they consume in their diet and maybe it's less in america because pork is not the primary source of meat in America. Like me for example, I try to cook a variety of foods for my family like beef, chicken and pasta among other things. I think it's great that you have given up Chicken and beef and pork although I worry if you might be getting enough protein. Do you substitute to make up for that or take supplements? If not, I recommend that you do just for your sake because as we age, our bodies stop making red blood cells and our kidneys do lose some if not all of their functioning and having a diet that's rich in protein can help and or prevent anemia.
also I would like to give you a web site where you can find some more current statistics as far as Asia goes, it is said at the bottom of the page,
" The crisis of kidney shortage is a global phenomenon and it is worst in Asian countries."
Read more: Alarming Facts about Kidney Disease http://www.medindia.net/health_statistics/health_facts/kidney-facts.htm#ixzz1fl1SewYe
and thank you for taking the time to clarify your personal beliefs and answering my nosy little questions so that we all may learn more about who you are and accept each other's differences and similarities and if I can find it online, or at a local book store, I will have to give "In defense of food" a read. Thanks.
oh and I think you might be interested in this site as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2633211/
Asian Pacific countries include those with the highest incidence of renal failure in the world, the richest and poorest economies and unparalleled diversity of economy, culture and geography. From this come many challenges, but also a strong basis for the introduction of strategies to combat renal diseases. With a rapidly developing scientific community, Asia needs to accept the challenge of becoming a global leader in nephrology in the near future.
Oh and I'm so sorry that I failed to answer your question. I love to read! Mostly mystery and romance. My favorite authors would have to be, Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyer, and V.C Andrews. Of course, at night when I can, I read the Bible when everyone else is sleeping so that I can fully concentrate and then I like studying the scriptures from the Book of Mormon and I pray about what I read. What kind of books do you like to read?
ReplyDeleteCrystal - Wow, that's some great info you provided. I'm excited to look into it & will check out that weblink you provided.
ReplyDeleteYeah, protein is abundant in my diet, but thanks for your concern! I appreciate it. :-D
I do like Anne Rice, but I haven't read anything recent. When I was younger, I read a book she wrote & loved it. I should find out what she's doing now. . . Currently, I read a lot on history, memoirs, and generally non-fiction. My current book list is "Blood & Oil: Memoirs of a Persian Prince," which I am not liking. The writer is not relatable and he doesn't seem as important as he makes himself out to be. I'm also reading "The Enough Moment" which is about humanitarian violations in Africa thru war crimes. I love this one!
What are you reading now, any suggestions?
VERY INTERESTING!! I think Anne Rice has a newer/older book called "Angels and Demons" that I have not read yet but would love to. I hear it's pretty good. I am mostly just reading the Bible when I can. Things are very hectic around here with three boys and a sick mother but I'm glad that you are getting enough protein though. I have a tendency to worry about every one and everything!
ReplyDelete