04-26-2005, 03:48 AM
SalamS Muslimah
I know [img]style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif[/img] I'm just eager to learn more insha'Allah, sorry about the many questions. It just shows you how little I really know [img]style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif[/img] . No i'm not talking about the person whos job describtion is to nikah and whos employed under the government etc. I'm talking about like an imam from the masjid without any strings attached. In many cultures its honour to give money to the imam or anybody else who's in a fit state to marry 2 people "according to the shariah law" and all the witnessess present. I have never read anywhere in the quraan or read any hadith that allows this kind of practise. I know and i've even been the witness of a nikah where the sheikh said no to the money and he said that its bid'a and it needs to stop.
Insha'Allah I want to learn to differenciate Culture from Islam. Walahee it's not easy. Now that I have been on this learning path for awhile I'm learning that there is a lot of Bid'a involved in some of our cultures.
Another thing I have noticed that really made my eyes almost pop out is for instance the opposite sexes shacking hands and when the man approaches the muslim women, the woman puts her hijab or something over her hand and hands her hand over to the man and shackes the hand of the man. "as in" oh well its ok now I have covered my hand.
Many times I have seen muslim men trying to shacke hands with me. SubhanaAllah when nonmuslim men do that, it's because they are ignorant. And when I do try to educate them they are thankful & friendly that I did, and they don't even get offended. Whereas I have seen muslim men who feel like as though they are being put to shame. When they stand there and they have the hand out, and your standing there keepign your hands to yourself, they give you this weird look. Making you feel guilty.
It's very clear that its ok to do that in those cultures whereas in Islam that is absolutely haram and unacceptable.
One time someone was very sick and I have visited the family. When the Hafiz recited the quraan on the sick person and left. A lot of the visitors felt disgusted and shame. They kept saying " they didn't give him any money, it's haram" "Oh how shameful why didn't they honour the man and give him some money its sunnah". All of that was intended for the family because they didn't give the Brother money. I felt so dumbfounded.
Later that evening the Hafis Brother heard about this incident and felt offended, he said I was not there to sell my knowledge to anybody, The quraan is the word of Allah. Not something that can be sold. It's your culture to give people money.
Some things are really not worth keeping <i>i.e</i> our cultures that contradict with Islam.