السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
format_quote Originally Posted by
AHMED PATEL
no shariah law...only islamic guidelines
no force or repercussions ..freedom to practice or leave islam too.
freedom of lifestyle choice,gay etc
no shariah courts..only advisory role.
our focus should be self reformation and our own communities reformation..there is enough to do there,im sure youll agree
The more I am reading your posts, the more I am seeing a modernist-progressive narrative emerging. Modernists take the view that religion must be 'reinterpreted' in light of societal norms and values. In doing so, they change the message of Islam and water it down to appease the Western audience. Hence in your other thread you mentioned 'many old fatwas have no relevance now', and here you are suggesting Shariah Law is to have no role today. Shariah is not simply a guideline we can dispense with, neither is Islam limited to self-reformation and introspection. The Shariah is the Deen of Islam covering all aspects of life, whether it is Prayer, Zakah, Fasting, Jihad, marriage, divorce, inheritance, penal law, transactions, Da'wah and so on. It is the divinely revealed religion, the only religion acceptable in the Sight of Allaah and the only success in this life and the Hereafter. A Muslim accepts Islam in its entirety and submits to every ruling. We do not try to outguess the religion and make it submit to us.
These ideas about accepting homosexuality or even advocating it, and considering apostasy as simply a freedom of choice are alien to Islam. Did not Allaah سبحانه وتعالى cause the city of the people of Lut to be turned upside down, raining upon it stones of baked clay? And yet being gay is being treated by some as merely a 'lifestyle choice'!
And what's with all these videos about how to live as a British Muslim, how to integrate, how to do this and that?! Some have been living as British Muslims their whole lives. They don't need to be taught how to live there. There are Muslims who are doctors, dentists, optometrists and pharmacists. There are Muslims who are solicitors and members of parliament. There are Muslims who are engineers, teachers, lecturers and professors. There are Muslims working in security and in the airports. Muslims are among the most generous groups in the UK. So, they don't need to be given lectures on how to integrate and contribute to society.
Also, there is nothing wrong with not wanting to socialise with non-Muslims if someone doesn't want to. If some Muslims prefer to stay in their own communities and are busy in the affairs of the Masjid, living in a 'cocoon' as you call it, that is their freedom. Just as it is the freedom of non-Muslims to stay in their own communities and those who don't wish to socialise with Muslims. Nobody should be forced to adopt a particular lifestyle, customs or values.
And lastly, I am fed up of all of these threads about the failure of the Muslim community to do this or to do that. Of course there are problems and failures. But there is good in the Muslims of today as well. Just as not every problem is due to a conspiracy theory or foreign policy, neither is every problem down to a failure of Muslims. We should be just as concerned about the plight of Muslims around the world as we are about ourselves. I totally disagree with the idea of not looking beyond our own community. We should have a balanced approach, not going to any extreme. The Ummah is one body and when any part of it is suffering, the whole body is restless. May Allaah سبحانه وتعالى guide us all and protect us, Aameen.