I'm absolutely sickened by society today (where i live, at least)

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaqib

Seriously. Rap/Bad eye (both ways, jealousy and not lowering your gaze)/so much music/use of bad language/rudeness/no praying/forgetting how great it is to meet a muslim brother/sister

How disgusting. I was recently on a forum that I used to spend nearly my 5 - 10 year old life on, and you know what? Muslim or not muslim, I witnessed some quite disgusting behavior (Sex jokes, disgusting music, etc.) I've quit the forum btw.

And even the MUSLIMS (youth), in my area at least, they don't pray, they don't recite quran. And when I give salams, they turn me down! They tell me rude things... They don't appreciate a muslim brother/sister like I do...

Anyways, this was something I had to let out. Sorry if I said anything wrong/

This is a common problem especially in the west, its here in the uk aswell predominantly in london & Birmingham the worst i know of anyway.
Youth nowdays take celebritys & rappers as idols and want to emmulate their lives, and be like them, those lifestyles are glamorised in such a disgusting way its unreal.
Some just follow the crowd to be accepted and "in" not alot of people have the strength inside them to step out the box and be a muslim and set aside all these stupid things such as, bad manners, being rude, cussing its all cool nowdays, its cool to screw people not to give the sunnah smile (more for brothers though as some sisters fully cover)
Its like alot of people are ashamed to show that they are muslim even giving the salam, wearing hijab/niqab/ wearing the thobe/tuppi these things are looked at like "your extreme" or "your too muslim" subhanAllah how can anyone be "too muslim" lol

But as to say that they arent praying or reading Quran, they could be doing these things behind closed doors away from people where they can "be themselves" and not have to put on a show to fit in.

Not alot of people put time into helping people move away from haram things, its more like oh this is haram stay away from it, but not "ok this is haram, so try this instead as a substitute its halal".
Eg. With music we all know its haram, so they can move onto nasheeds with their type of taste, better alternative
Eg. Jilbab/abaya they can wear long flowing dresses/skirts with long sleeve tops & cardigan jacket untill theyre ready to take that step

We have to help people move away from the haram and give alternatives which helps them move away from it slowly, not just tell people, "no this is haram stop this"

Assalamu alaikum,

Sorry that you are going through this lil bro. Best advice i can give you is to be the person, or rather Muslim, that you wish to find in others. Sometimes when we're surrounded by negativity and fitnah, we have to learn to rise above it and be the best example of righteousness that we can be. You'll find that people respect and gravitate towards those who have good morals and who are strong in their stance on taqwa because they themselves dont have much discipline in their life. Anyways, just keep persevering and be that reminder for others when they are falling astray and need reminding.

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaqib

How disgusting. I was recently on a forum that I used to spend nearly my 5 - 10 year old life on, and you know what? Muslim or not muslim, I witnessed some quite disgusting behavior (Sex jokes, disgusting music, etc.) I've quit the forum btw.

And even the MUSLIMS (youth), in my area at least, they don't pray, they don't recite quran. And when I give salams, they turn me down! They tell me rude things... They don't appreciate a muslim brother/sister like I do...

Whenever you see that just keep reminding yourself.... 'Hey Remember, we were just like them'..and InshA'Allah you'll see the positive hope for them behind that apparent negativity.


There was a Sufi who was travelling with his disciples and they saw a bunch of young men, drinking, dancing singing and having fun like there is no tomorrow, without any respect for whose passing by and whose not and without having any heed for the hereafter.

The Disciples said 'Ya Sheikh, make supplication against these heedless people, these sinners'

Sheikh Said 'Sure. Lets all of us raise our hands and make dua. When I have made dua you all should say 'Ameen'. As soon as they raised their hands, the Sheikh made the following Dua:

"Oh Allah give them enjoyment in the hereafter just as they are enjoying on earth."

(Ihya ulum al din - Imam Ghazzali)

....so the moral of the story is that without expressing negativity about them, the Sheikh use the above words to make dua for their guidance so that they may repent and have a beautiful hereafter.

Just something to share.

Greetings and peace be with you Aaqib;

. And when I give salams, they turn me down! They tell me rude things... They don't appreciate a muslim brother/sister like I do...

You cannot change them, you can only change yourself and the way you react to them. Keep in your heart that you will fight all battles with loving kindness, no matter what comes back to you. At the age of 67, resilience and perseverance come to mind, you just have to keep striving to be kind.

Before you greet someone with salam, pray a blessing for them first, I like the words of syed.....

"Oh Allah give them enjoyment in the hereafter just as they are enjoying on earth."

If you pray this blessing in your mind for them first, then your salam will come with thoughts of kindness. And if their response is rude, pray the same blessing again for them after. This is probably more for your benefit, as it helps to keep your mind focused on kindness; despite all the hurt that comes back to you in this world.

In the end, it is Allah who will soften your heart and thier heart.

Blessings.

Eric

Greetings and peace be with you Aaqib;

A Blessing for Justice and Peace

By: Education for Justice



May God bless you with discomfort...
at easy answers, hard hearts,
half-truths ,and superficial relationships.
May God bless you so that you may live
from deep within your heart
where God's Spirit dwells.

May God bless you with anger...
at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people.
May God bless you so that you may
work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears...
to shed for those who suffer from pain,
rejection, starvation and war.
May God bless you so that you
may reach out your hand
to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with
enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference
in this world, in your neighborhood,
so that you will courageously try
what you don't think you can do, but,
in God you'll have all the strength necessary.

May God bless you to fearlessly
speak out about injustice,
unjust laws, corrupt politicians,
unjust and cruel treatment of prisoners,
and senseless wars,
genocides, starvations, and poverty that is so pervasive.

May God bless you that you remember
we are all called
to continue God's redemptive work
of love and healing
in God's place, in and through God's name,
in God's Spirit, continually creating
and breathing new life and grace
into everything and everyone we touch.

Blessings

Eric

Prophet Muhammad said, “Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” [Muslim]
It was asked, “Who are those strangers, O Messenger of God?” He replied, “Those that correct the people when they become corrupt.” Another narration says, “Those who correct my traditions that have been corrupted by the people after me.” [Authenticated by Ibn Al-Baz]

Don't Muslims form groups that hold themselves to a higher standard? Christianity has conservative Anabaptists and Judaism has ultra-Orthodox communities. Is there something comparable in Islam? I think that only in such groups can one get away from the disgusting influence of modern culture.

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaqib

Seriously. Rap/Bad eye (both ways, jealousy and not lowering your gaze)/so much music/use of bad language/rudeness/no praying/forgetting how great it is to meet a muslim brother/sister.

How disgusting. I was recently on a forum that I used to spend nearly my 5 - 10 year old life on, and you know what? Muslim or not muslim, I witnessed some quite disgusting behavior (Sex jokes, disgusting music, etc.) I've quit the forum btw.

And even the MUSLIMS (youth), in my area at least, they don't pray, they don't recite quran. And when I give salams, they turn me down! They tell me rude things... They don't appreciate a muslim brother/sister like I do...

Anyways, this was something I had to let out. Sorry if I said anything wrong/

Bismillah walhamdulillah wa salaatu wa salaam ala Rasulillah;
Salaamu aleykum warahmatullah ikhwan;

Welcome to the time of which drew tears from the Prophet Muhammad, sulla allahu aleihi wa sallam, for his Ummah.

https://islamqa.info/en/88490

https://curioushearts.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/o-allah-my-ummah-my-ummah/

Fear not, akhi; Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala is ahr Rahman ihr Raheem. Those who struggle and strive for that which was prescribed for the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad sulla allahu aleihi wa sallam, which is to say, for Allah - they will be of the successful.

Try not to forget - as is the goal of Shaythan, to have us forget - that we each have our own path on which we tread, leading back to Allah Azzawajjal. Even that of your children, once they have reached puberty and an age of discerning right from wrong.

Cast thy glance inward and seek happiness in enhancing your relationship with Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala; this is the path to felicity. The outside world is naught but illusion and fraught with challenges that will displease or distract you, or worse.

May Allah subhanahu wa Ta'al forgive me for anything wrong that I've said, and grant me forgiveness and redemption through tawbah.

May Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala grant mercy and forgiveness to me and my ikhwan, and grant us all Jannah. amin ya Rabbil alamin.

Salaamu aleykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
Wallahu alem.

format_quote Originally Posted by fschmidt

Don't Muslims form groups that hold themselves to a higher standard? Christianity has conservative Anabaptists and Judaism has ultra-Orthodox communities. Is there something comparable in Islam? I think that only in such groups can one get away from the disgusting influence of modern culture.

Bismillah;

As you've identified, the quest for 'higher standards' is not restricted to that of the Muslims. And Muslims, at least in the true sense, don't feel the need to form groups because of the simple fact that our Creator has ALREADY DONE THIS... it's called Islam.

Modern culture has nothing to do with the disgusting propensities of mankind, for the simple reason that the disgusting propensities have existed for longer than modern culture. The phrase "history is repeating itself" comes to mind...

You must admit that it's only ever been people with the inherently disgusting propensities and not the groups to which they belong - surely, without the influence of said disgusting propensities, we would all, IN FACT, be Muslim...

format_quote Originally Posted by Challenged

As you've identified, the quest for 'higher standards' is not restricted to that of the Muslims. And Muslims, at least in the true sense, don't feel the need to form groups because of the simple fact that our Creator has ALREADY DONE THIS... it's called Islam.

But there must be different "schools of thought" in Islam, as in every religion, based on varying interpretation. And a "school of thought" can become a "school of action" or a group by simply implementing their own interpretation on themselves instead of arguing with everyone else. A group that says that X, Y, and Z are not permissible in Islam, and enforces this by excuding those who do X, Y, or Z from their own group is basically implementing higher standards. Do you see anything wrong with this?

Modern culture has nothing to do with the disgusting propensities of mankind, for the simple reason that the disgusting propensities have existed for longer than modern culture. The phrase "history is repeating itself" comes to mind...

You must admit that it's only ever been people with the inherently disgusting propensities and not the groups to which they belong - surely, without the influence of said disgusting propensities, we would all, IN FACT, be Muslim...

One of main roles of religion is to teach people to control their disgusting propensities. So while disgusting propensities may be intrinsic to mankind, behavior varies greatly by culture depending on whether these disgusting propensities are encouraged or discouraged.

format_quote Originally Posted by fschmidt

But there must be different "schools of thought" in Islam

Correct - they are called madhhabs

format_quote Originally Posted by fschmidt

implementing higher standards

The highest standard that MANKIND has to learn from is that which was left by the Prophet Muhammad (saws) - His Sunnah. Nothing else is sufficient. Said propensitites are curbed by emulating the Prophet Muhammad (saws) to the best of our abilities and striving only for that which pleases our Creator. i.e. enjoin the good, forbid the evil.

Religion, as by the definition of the word, is a man-made construct which is inherently flawed (religion is an English word - a man made language). Islam is a Way of life and meant to encompass all avenues thereof - a la "deen al-Islam" - the arabic word "deen" has been mistranslated to mean "religion". The most accurate definition is "Way" - a la; to you be your Way, to me mine...

format_quote Originally Posted by fschmidt

One of main roles of religion is to teach people to control their disgusting propensities. So while disgusting propensities may be intrinsic to mankind, behavior varies greatly by culture depending on whether these disgusting propensities are encouraged or discouraged.

As Muslims we are taught to put culture second to Islam.

This is to ensure that the things that make us unique do not impinge on that which unites us.