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my personal
journey...
Assalaamu Alaikum (Peace be Unto You)
Islam is not only a religion, but a way of life.
It allows one to always question one's action and especially so when
living in the United States. Being born and raised here, it is
sometimes difficult to know what is right and wrong-- what is Islamic and
what is not. So I always have to take a step back and put things
into perspective and see it from an Islamic point of view. Being a
Muslim And to always learn and study and refer to the Quran and Hadith.
I try my best to follow the right path and incorporate Islamic values into
my daily life and try to be a better Muslim day by day. For
example, I structure my day around my salah (prayers), rather than let my
activities determine my prayer routine. Islam appeals to so many
because it judges
people, mean and women, based on their faith, morals, personality and
intellect rather than their physical attributes.
The word "Hijab"
provokes a variety of feelings. Many people translate it as a
"head scarf", but i stay away from such a simplified, bland
meaning. The word has its origin the Arabic word "hajaba"
meaning to hide from view or to conceal their beauty. Although the
Hijab can be a covering garment for a Muslima, its purpose is to cover
one's Awra-- the private parts of one's body that are not to be shown,
everything but the face, hand, feet. Along with this physical
responsibility, there is a more of an expansive territory of ones' actions
of modesty, honesty, integrity. As someone quite distinctly said,
"You know the outward modesty is a very important thing, so the hijab
is one important way of guarding our modesty... but understand that our
intentions, words, deeds, and actions should reflect an 'inner hijab', a
guarding of our behavior." To end, i would further add that,
"Men are equally required to be modest and to conduct themselves
responsibly in every sphere of their lives."
I believe there are
different levels of Islam-- I'm not talking about the Fard, because those
are clear cut, and the bare minimal. There are many instances where
people differ in opinions on certain matters of daily life. All I
can say is that I try my best to implement things according to what Islam
has prescribed but it may be different from another's mannerisms. No
doubt iman/intention is extremely important. Allah (SWT) knows best.
I was really
fortunate that there was a tight Islamic community at my college--
especially so during my senior year. The
Islamic
Center of NYU was really nicely run and organized and continues as
such; informative lectures, iftars during Ramadan, and jumma namaz
(prayers) every week highlighted my days there. It was a place where
Muslims went to pray, chill out in between classes. The
Islamic
Center of NYU Alumni Association was recently established and insha'Allah
we hope that the organization will forge a link between alumni and the
Islamic Center.
This
article is must read.. very well written:
Universal
Characteristics of Islam |
