RE: ProgressiveMuslims digest, Vol 1 #364 - 9 msgs

Salaams,

Your words were not taken out of context.  I'm simple stating that ultimate
personal freedom appears to be not wanted even by yourself,  Otherwise we
would all have every single option presented to us and we alone would make a
simple choice to participate in it or not.  Perhaps the combining of men and
women is as distasteful to some imaams as the freedom for us to use drugs is
to you.  Humbleness to the opinion of others is normally a good thing.

So then the issue becomes merely where do we draw what lines.  In that
respect your opinion and my opinion is just as valid as any mullahs assuming
they're decently learned.

We are all mortal people capable of sin.  Perhaps some of us are saints and
angels and can not see certain things as temptation, but I suspect most
humans are not of that calibre.  And if God is truly merciful God would not
allow Heaven for only saints.  Part of Islam IS avoiding temptation.  That
is in itself a test.  Perhaps a far greater test than not staring at
someone's behind.  The trust in God's word as a way of life.  For example,
throughout the Koran, it says we should not take non-muslims as friends
([3.28],[5.51]...).  Now, I don't know about you, but I personally don't do
that.  But I can definitely see that God is not an idiot.  God understand
that most people will do as their friends do.  So, God advises us to keep
muslims friends.  Yet, this too:  the act of taking a non-muslim friend
appears as an innocent and insignificant event.

I'm always reminded of a the 'original sin'.  God told Adam do not eat from
this tree.  God did NOT give Adam a reason like the tree is poisoness or the
tree will affect your state of mind...God simply gave Adam a direct order.
Adam/Eve eventually ate from the tree, and that was the original sin.  A
simple insignificant innocent act of eating a fruit.

The orignal sin was not rape, murder, theft...It was disobeying a simple
insignificant order from God.  But it was more than that wasn't it.

As to the hijab question.  People are not perfect.  We all sin and take the
faith to the best degree we can.  Women who normally don't cover, but cover
up while praying may not be 100% consistent in their life, but then again
who is?  They simply don't bother with it for 98% of the day.  But when they
are engaged in an act of worship, they decide they should cover up.  It's
the same with men whose pants extend beyond their ankles for most of the
day, but when they go pray...they roll them up.

> --__--__--
>
> Message: 6
> From: "Kate Ahmad" <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: [Progressivemuslimsnetwork] RE:
> ProgressiveMuslims digest, Vol 1 #362 - 8
>  msgs
> Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 11:54:39 +1100
> Reply-To: [email protected]
>
> Salaam,
> I really dont like it when people take my words out of
> context.  To even
> compare men and women praying together with pornography and
> drug abuse is
> stupid and proves nothing at all.
> If a man sees standing near a woman at the mosque as a test -
> then he is a
> man of weak iman.  It is only in segregated societies where
> this kind of
> innocent and insignificant event would mean anything at all.
> For me, I would concentrate more in prayer if I knew I stood
> as an equal
> with my brothers before God.
>
> On another topic, does anyone know of any women who dont wear
> hijab while
> praying?  what is the source of this anyway.  I can see a
> case from hadith
> for hijab all the time, but not much to justify hijab for prayer only.
>
> Wa'salaam
> Aisha