حازم الطيب
عضو ادارة عليــــــا
عدد المساهمات : 766
نقاط : 24954
تاريخ التسجيل : 06/12/2011
العمر : 55
الموقع : J H B
 المزاج : Allaah allaah is my lord and thier is no partners with him
 |  موضوع: Islam: The Middle Way الإثنين 19 ديسمبر 2011 - 16:16 | |
| Islam: The Middle Way | |
Some people think that to live an
Islamic life is "restrictive". Islam
however, was revealed as a balanced
way of living. Allah (The Most High)
created all the humans with what is
called 'A Fitrah' (a natural
state/desire).Islam recognises that
within this Fitrah there are motivations
that influence a man's role on earth
e.g. a desire for good food and drink,
to have a home, a desire for love and
sex, to protect and be protected and to
be successful and strong. Without
some form of control and limit, all of
these legitimate motives could prove
very dangerous. |
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| So what constitutes the perfect control
for the Fitrah? It must be a method
that provides an organised yet practical
demonstration of how to balance all
these natural human desires. It cannot
be something that goes against the
Fitrah, by placing on it extra burdens.
Likewise, it cannot be something that
allows the human desires to run wild
without any form of control.
Islam is the perfect control for the
Fitrah. It provides a divine method that
elevates man above animals and the
rest of creation.
Humans lack perfect knowledge as well
as perfect wisdom. No matter how
hard we try, we will never attain the
perfect way of life by our own thinking
and interpretation. This is the reason
why Allaah being the Most Wise, sent
us the Qur'an and the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW)[2] to show us this
practical and organised way of life.
Allaah, being Perfect, in His Wisdom
and Knowledge, perfected a complete
way of life for us. He has set His
limitations and rules, all of which are
beneficial to mankind, and therefore,
do not need changing:
"These are the limits (set) by Allaah, so
do not approach them"
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:1871)
"These are the limits set by Allaah, so
do not transgress them"
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:229)
This is why Islam does not allow
celibacy, because it is against the
Fitrah, i.e., the desire for sex. Celibacy
goes beyond the limits required by
humans, and is something that cannot
be fulfilled because humans are
designed to procreate. As humans we
are not expected to fast every single
day for the rest of our lives (for most
30 days of the year provides an up-hill
struggle). It is also from ignorance to
say that 'I shall not sleep during the
night, but rather I shall pray!' [3]
Humans have not been created by
Allah to live life in such a manner.
There is a balance which must be
observed.
The following incident describes the
Islamic stance towards such behaviour,
Anas reported that some of the
Companions of Allaah's Messenger
(SAW) used to say: "I will not marry
women"; someone else said: "I will not
eat meat"; and someone else said: "I
will not lie down in bed". (On hearing
this): The Prophet (SAW) praised
Allaah, and glorified Him and said:
"what has happened to these people
that they say so and so, whereas I
observe prayer and I sleep too. I
observe fast and I break my fast; I
marry women also. And he who turns
away from my Sunnah (i.e., my
example or lifestyle), he has no
relation with me" [Narrated in Saheeh
Muslim vol. 2. p703. no. 32361].
Islam on the other hand, does not
allow the person to surrender
themselves to lust and desire, as in
contemporary 'civilisation'. Islam
recognises the love a man has for
women, children, gold, silver, and
other possessions. But it provides a
limit for the amount of this worldly
pleasure which we require, and
reminds us of the life in the hereafter.
"Beautified for men is the love of things
they desire: Women, Children, much
of gold and silver (wealth), branded
beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled
land. This is the pleasure of the present
world's life, but Allaah has the
excellent return ( Paradise )"
(Surah Aali-Imraan 3:141)
The inclinations and desires of the
Fitrah are not to become the objective
in life. Rather they are to be taken in a
stabilised manner. The way to deal
with them is real and Allaah (The Most
High) has given us the detailed
descriptions of a levelled approach.
This levelled approach gives mankind
the perfectly balanced pleasure in this
worldly life. The method of
maintaining a well-balanced life is not
an endurance test to see who lasts the
longest. Allah has revealed Islam, to
show us how to attain this balance in a
real manner. Life is not a torturous
spiritual test, where you are ordered to
Iive in mountains and trees. Fasting all
year round is not obligatory. Marriage
is permissible and you do not have to
beat yourself senseless to purify your
soul! Rather as Muslims, we must try
to follow the Prophet and his balanced
teachings of life and living. As Allah
says in the Qur'an:
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allah
(saw), you have a good example to
follow.."
(Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21)
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