Put God
First.
That was
the message in sight for a few miles on the traffic filled freeway yesterday;
well that and the late afternoon sun reminding me of the few more hours
remaining before the fast breaking. But that message, repeated on both the
window and the license plate of the car before, came at the right time. A time
when I had been wondering, where do we draw the fine line?
We
currently live in a time where we’re far more afraid of being politically
correct than we are of being morally correct. It’s no longer acceptable to be
offended by curse words or inappropriate public displays of affection. It’s no
longer acceptable to live by rules and regulations. Society has devolved into a
“no holds barred” lifestyle and if you refuse it you’re too extreme, too
limited, too conservative, just too much for the “do everything” vibe trending.
Here’s
the thing though, I can’t see the justification of re-ranking my religion as
second or third in priority due to fear of what others will think, especially
when my religion has provided me a plethora of avenues for practice that do not
hinder my ability to live nor the ability of others around me. Islam is a
religion of balance but things have been off center with its followers and no
one is bold enough to address it because of the great PC (political correctness)
and the fact that for centuries, misinterpretation has been the lead guide,
leaving behind the words of God in the dark, collecting dust and overshadowed
by man-made texts.
God says
He “does not shy away from the truth (33:53)” and I wonder why we often do. Why
has it become an embarrassment to say that this—whatever
it may be—is prohibited in my faith? It’s come to a point where many are
working their ways into reinterpreting God’s words to better fit the mainstream
agenda, rather than understanding there are things indeed prohibited for
reasons.
Has it
become forgotten that life is a test? That every moment lived is one each human
is held accountable for in the hereafter? There’s a verse that has resonated
deep within me since last Ramadan: “Do people think that they will be left to
say, “We believe,” without being tested (29:2)?” I have read it hundreds of
times in my life, but I never really paid attention until I was enduring one of
the greatest tests in my life and it was like God was saying, “Here, you seem
to have forgotten what this life is all about.” Taking a few steps back I
remembered that I belong to Him, and so it is to Him that I will return.
Sometimes
in our greatest struggles we tend to forget the purpose of life and where we
fit in it. Sometimes society is a stronger influence on us than it should be
and we lose sight of our priorities. I get it. I really do, I’m as human as the
next human, but I am only caught off guard when someone tries to dehumanize our
humanness. By that I mean the idea that we no longer need to struggle through
trials and tribulations, but rather let ourselves just be. It’s this trend of
taking too much refuge in the idea of supposed immunity because of God’s
endless Mercy. Therefore, all His words are simply suggestions not laws—you
know like stop signs and red lights today—so there’s no need to exert much
energy.
I think
this is harder for me to digest now because first, it’s being pushed in my face
more, and second, it’s Ramadan. Ramadan, the month that is literally an annual 30-day training period to teaching oneself that
life is not about instant gratification or yielding to personal desires.
Ramadan, a time where we are rewiring our bodies, minds and souls to recognize
that it will face various temptations—obvious and hidden—to things known as
prohibited and yet finding that inner strength to overcome because one is more
than capable. Not only that, remembering that you exist in this life for a
purpose and a mission from God, and therefore need to keep your goals and
priorities in order.
The
Quran asks, “Have you seen the one who takes his own desires for a deity
(25:43)?” It’s a reminder that we humans are by default created to have
desires, to want to yield to them, but the goal is understanding we have the
power and strength to refrain. That is the biggest part of the test and it
started at the dawn of time, with Prophet Adam and his wife.
Funny,
isn’t it, how this will be perceived as coercive or lecture-like because it is
about religious betterment (and believe me, I can already feel the hate heat of
retaliation baking in the oven as I type), but were it to come from a highly
renowned Ivy League graduate speaking on time management or the psychology of
happiness it’s more than just acceptable, it’s an exciting inspiring challenge?
Why are we so willing to do it when Tony Robbins tells us to but not so much
when God does?
Then,
when we are not willing to do it, why does it become the automatic next step to
deconstruct the meanings of God’s words to alleviate our guilt? That’s another
hugely growing trend for the past few years. Once I posted a status on Facebook
stating I had greater respect for the person strong enough to admit to their
weakness than the one who goes about to rewrite what God said/meant. I had just
about had it with people trying to convince me of the “okay-ness” with regards
to premarital sex, alcohol, drugs and a few other things. It came to a point
where those of us who chose to abide by those clear-cut prohibitions were the
ones made to feel guilty or wrong, despite not uttering a word to everyone else
who chose not to abide by the prohibitions.
Freedom
of choice is an essential element in Islam. The verses advocating against
coercion of faith are often repeated in the Quran and I love that because it is
not only referring to the coercion of conversion, but it is also speaking to
the coercion of Muslims on Muslims into performing certain acts of worship. The
problem is that now there is a growing population trying to restate
prohibitions for the sake of social acceptance, for the sake of fitting into
the socially constructed “progressive” or “moderate” Muslim title.
What
happened to self-control? What happened to will power? What happened to the
belief that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve it? One Ramadan,
I was approached by a guy who straight up said he believed the idea of fasting
to be “unhealthy” and “crazy.” With a look of disgust he continued to express
how he would never forbid his precious body from food because he gets “hangry”
and believes humans need to eat five meals a day. With a look of pity I said,
“Nothing God has asked of me could be unhealthy, so let’s start there. Second, a
person can literally do anything they believe in, but it does require some
mental strength that well, not everyone has.”
Last
year I wrote this Ramadan post (http://ladynarrator.blogspot.com/2015/06/rsvp-1.html?m=1)
where I mentioned that the giving up of food is literally the easiest part.
It's the self-reformation we struggle with, and considering our current social
strives, I'm wondering why this emphasis seems to be lost? Imagine if we
educate our children from birth that they are strong willed individuals who can
work on themselves continuously to overcome temptations. That mistakes will
happen and poor judgment calls will be made, but they are lessons and reminders
to our greater calling in life that should not be forgotten? The calling to be
genuinely decent human beings that serve God by serving others, but without watering down God's Message to
custom fit the human desires.
I
pray that these last few days of Ramadan are filled with pure strength—mental
and spiritual—that will enable us to stay on track and keep focused in our
mission. May we grow closer to Him through every test and may He accept all of
our intentions and efforts in these precious days and every other day in our
lives.
