I "stood up " for islam :) /.........ADVISE NEEDED!

[fronze]

assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters.

So this happened a few hours ago i went to a job interview a few hours ago ,it was the hiring process and we were filling some paperwork the HR lady started pointing out some things about this company,such as no beard,etc,etc that companies usually dont allow.

as many know i reverted to islam alittle of a month or so,but it was when i told the HR lady that what happen if i have a beard,that i cant shave it due to religious reason (MORE THAN THAT I WANT TO BE A GOOD MUSLIM AND DO THINGS RIGHT),she told me to see her after the break,the break time came i spoke to her and spoke to the boss of the company,he wanted to know what religion and why i couldnt shave it,he insisted a few time if i could shave it one the sides,leaving a goat beard on, and i told him very confidently ,THAT NO I COULDN'T,and if that was i problem i understood and thank you. ,something "funny happene" as i was talking to him there was 2 muslim sisters outside,so i guess he managed to understand,if i am not mistaken he was jew.
he asked me that he knew a few muslims but they dont have a beard and they do shave ,he asked me is it necessary not to shave ? (without getting to deep into religion talk) i told him that no ,its not necessary but that depends upon each one's faith and decision of how much rightness each one want. DID I DO RIGHT?:nervous: ,so after that he said that i donot have to worry and he would talk to the manager where i would be working,i also went with my kufi ( as i wear it on a daily basis), can i work with my kufi on? should i call them and tell them that i would feel better working with my kufi on?i really would feel not only wierd but in a way maybe insulted because its not a custome that you take it off and then put it back on. please advise here....

ALLAHU AKBAR

 

[جوري]

congrats akhi..
I do notice a certain fixation on your kufi.. it is just cosmetics you don't have to wear it, it isn't mandatory..

and Allah swt knows best

 

[fronze]

congrats akhi..
I do notice a certain fixation on your kufi.. it is just cosmetics you don't have to wear it, it isn't mandatory..

and Allah swt knows best

thank you so much sister.

 

[Mustafa2012]

You did the right thing brother but there are a no. of factors you should bear in mind in the future.

It really depends on each persons circumstance. If a person has financial means to fall back on if he gets rejected due to his religious requirements then it's fine to stand your ground and stick to your Islamic principles.

However if a person is restricted financially and needs the job to provide for himself and his family, I've read an opinion on www.islam-qa.com that it is allowed to trim your beard but not shave it off completely if you have no other choice in order to survive. However you should still leave some visible sign of a beard even if it is trimmed down. Some people are not aware of this opinion however it exists. Remember Allaah does not burden a person with more than they can bear. If a person is starving and there is no food except pork they are allowed to eat pork (which is normally haraam) in order to survive.

As for the Kufi, the Thobe etc. there are differing opinions. It is preferred to wear Islamic clothing wherever it is possible especially if the employer allows it but I've also heard that it's permissible to wear western clothing if you are in a Western country and have no other choice, as long as it is modest, respectable and covers the Awrah (the parts that we are required to conceal Islamically).

 

[fronze]

You did the right thing brother but there are a no. of factors you should bear in mind in the future.

It really depends on each persons circumstance. If a person has financial means to fall back on if he gets rejected due to his religious requirements then it's fine to stand your ground and stick to your Islamic principles.

However if a person is restricted financially and needs the job to provide for himself and his family, I've read an opinion on www.islam-qa.com that it is allowed to trim your beard but not shave it off completely if you have no other choice in order to survive. However you should still leave some visible sign of a beard even if it is trimmed down. Some people are not aware of this opinion however it exists. Remember Allaah does not burden a person with more than they can bear. If a person is dying and there is no food they are allowed to eat pork (which is normally haraam) in order to survive.

As for the Kufi, the Thobe etc. there are differing opinions. It is preferred to wear Islamic clothing wherever it is possible especially if the employer allows it but I've also heard that it's permissible to wear western clothing if you are in a Western country and have no other choice, as long as it is modest, respectable and covers the Awrah (the parts that we are required to conceal Islamically).

thank you so much brother,as for the islamic clothing,please explain me,why is this necessarry?( i have no problem with that,just a question) thank you so much

 

[Hulk]

Waalaykumsalam,

I think you handled the situation well in terms of being firm yet polite(I hope!). Glad to be able to call you a fellow brother in Islam :statisfie. All the best with the new job, and don't forget to keep seeking knowledge!

 

[fronze]

Waalaykumsalam,

I think you handled the situation well in terms of being firm yet polite(I hope!). Glad to be able to call you a fellow brother in Islam :statisfie. All the best with the new job, and don't forget to keep seeking knowledge!

walaikum salam

thank you brother

 

[Mustafa2012]

thank you so much brother,as for the islamic clothing,please explain me,why is this necessarry?( i have no problem with that,just a question) thank you so much

You're welcome brother.

To understand the ruling on wearing Islamic clothing please read this.

There is another opinion which I heard a student of Shaykh Uthaymeen mention. His name is Khalid Al Muslih. He said that when the shaykh went to some western country for treatment or da'wah purposes, when he was at home he would wear Islamic clothing and when he was out he would dress in the clothing of the people of that area. This he was suggesting was helpful in blending in and making people feel at ease for Da'wah purposes.

You will hear different opinions on any issue. Some rulings change slightly depending on the circumstances that are present in a particular part of the world which is why it's recommended to speak to a local Sunni scholar who understands all the issues. Go with the opinion which you feel is closest to the truth.

 

[fronze]

You're welcome brother.

To understand the ruling on wearing Islamic clothing please read this.

There is another opinion which I heard a student of Shaykh Uthaymeen mention. I can't remember his name for some reason. He said that when the shaykh went to some western country for treatment or da'wah purposes, when he was at home he would wear Islamic clothing and when he was out he would dress in the clothing of the people of that area. This he was suggesting was helpful in blending in and making people feel at ease for Da'wah purposes.

You will hear different opinions on any issue. Some rulings change slightly depending on the circumstances that are present in a particular part of the world which is why it's recommended to speak to a local Sunni scholar who understands all the issues. Go with the opinion which you feel is closest to the truth.

thank you brother,you are awesome jejej,good night and thank you again.

 

[Mustafa2012]

thank you brother,you are awesome jejej,good night and thank you again.

:alhamd: Al Hamdu lillaah. All praise belongs to Allaah.


You are welcome brother. Anytime. Good night to you too.

 

[Ali Mujahidin]

As salaam mualaikum

First I wish all my Muslim brothers and sisters a successful Eidil Adha.

The OP reminds me of an incident a few years ago. It was after the Isha prayers. As usual, on my way home, I stopped at a coffee shop. As usual, too, a number of my friends who were praying with me in the mosque a little ago were also there. They had arrived earlier than me and were seated around a table. All of them were wearing kurta, serban and beards. Except one person whom I had never seen praying in the mosque before. (I am not saying that he didn't pray in a mosque. Most probably he prayed in another mosque.) This stranger was attired in the normal western style of shirt and trousers. No beard. No kufi. Just a mustache. One of my friends called out to me.

"Come and tell our friend here why he should be wearing a beard."

Mind you, I was not called because I was knowledgeable about Islam. It just so happened that of the whole group of friends there, I was the only one not born a Muslim. Of course, I was wearing a beard. So I went over, thinking about how to best explain the sunnah. It was obvious to me that the unbearded stranger there was unlikely to be moved by discussions of sunnah and pahala. If he had been interested in that, I wouldn't have been called over because my other friends there were all very knowledgeable about Islam and were more than capable of explaining in great detail about the sunnah and pahala. This was what I said to the stranger.

"Have you noticed how the fans of Michael Jackson behaved? They try to dress like him, don't they? When Michael Jackson wears a black glove, they also wear black gloves, don't they? Why? Isn't it because they are so in love with Michael Jackson that they want to look like Michael Jackson as much as possible?

Have you noticed how the fans of Elvis Presley behaved? They try to dress like him, don't they? When Elvis Presley combs his hair in a certain way, they also comb their hair in the same certain way, don't they? Why? Isn't it because they are so in love with Elvis Presley that they want to look like Elvis Presley as much as possible?

So, I say to you, when you think about wearing a beard, think about how much you love the Holy Prophet. If the fans of Michael Jackson and the fans of Elvis Presley can dress the way they do for the love of their idols, think about how you want to dress for the love of the Holy Prophet."

Well, that's more or less what I said.

Mind you, I am not saying that, by wearing a beard, I love the Holy Prophet more than another person who does not wear a beard. Or that I am a better Muslim. Only Allah knows how much each and every of our amal is worth. I am only sharing this with the dua that it might help someone to see the practice of wearing a beard in another way.

Wallahu aklam.

 

[FatimaSumayia]

You did very right brother .. And as our akhi Mustafa explained so welll .. i hope your issue is solved =)

 

[Mustafa2012]

I just wanted to add something just in case anyone thinks I was being too lenient by quoting the above rulings.

I have been exactly in the same situation as the OP several times. I've been refused jobs because I refused to shake hands with the bosses of several companies who were women, even though I explained very nicely the reason behind it.

I've been refused jobs because as the interviewer said, The company might be concerned about the image it is trying to portray.

I've turned down jobs because their break times were so short and oddly spaced out that I didn't have time to pray certain prayers on time. But not long after I did this, literally a week later, I was offered a really good job and I was able to fulfil all my Islamic commitments.

Was it worth all the effort?

I'd say :alhamd: Al Hamdulillaah, "Yes" because I depend on Allaah for my provision. I live to please Allaah, not people, especially not people who don't believe in Allaah.

Employers are just a means for us to receive the provision from Allaah but sometimes our emaan is tested by Allaah and in those times we need to be patient.

When you leave something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will replace your loss with something much better. Sometimes it's not a financial reward, but a spiritual reward like an increase in eemaan and patience and feeling closer to Allaah.

Everyone's provision is decreed as to how much they will get, when they will get it and what types of provision they will get. We just need to keep trying different ways of seeking our provision. If one way doesn't work, then try other ways. Keep trying until what you find is halal.

Some people are in more of a difficult situation than others so that's why I mentioned the above rulings so that they don't make life difficult on themselves when there is an allowance given by scholars.

One suggestion I'd like to offer is that if you like wearing the kufi or growing your beard, then look for jobs with Muslims employers or try to find a way to be self employed if you have some specialist skill/s. If you don't have specialist skills then find out what is in demand in your area or generally in the world and take a course to learn that skill so you can be self-employed.

This way you can wear whatever you want and follow the sunnah without having to compromise your Islamic principles.

May Allaah make it easy for us all.

P.S. I spoke to some Palestinians once and they said that the thobe that the Arabs wear is not the sunnah of The Prophet. They said that people in the time of The Prophet wore something similar to what the Pakistani people wear called a "Kurta" which is a longer version of the "Shalwar Kameez" and it comes down to the knees. It has slits on the side to make it easy to move around.

Another elderly Pakstani brother who knows a lot about the history of Islam also said the same thing. In those days, they used to ride horses and camels for travelling and war. The full length thobe is quite restrictive for horse/camel riding whereas the Kurta which has slits on the sides is much easier and doesn't need to be folded.