Musings of a Servant of Allah
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (13:28)Archive for Muslim women
On living in the West
“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” -Albert Einstein
Thank you, spiritualtravelman, for being my muse for this post.
Ironically, I’m better able to practise my faith as a Western Muslim, as opposed to a Middle Eastern one.
However! A Muslim woman living in Malaysia and Iran stands a much better chance at equality than one living in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Certain cultures have more deep-seated, tribalistic, misogynistic roots…while others are forward-thinking, modernised and view women as equal to men. Look at this disgusting example of misogyny in Saudi Arabia.
Strange isn’t it? Muslim women need to flee the country of their birth to be able to practise their faith. In the West, we can observe hijab, get educated, go to work, buy property, drive (don’t even get me started), select our spouses, divorce, remarry, adopt, choose to have children, choose to remain childless….the possibilities are endless. God bless Australia/America/Europe (except France lol)/the UK!
On another note, I read somewhere that spirituality is an intensely private, internalised concept for women…but for men, it’s all about the public sphere of legislative domination and the like. Why do egos have to get into the way of everything??? Heh.
On faith
Spirituality, in our secular day and age, has come under fire.
A very good friend and colleague of mine, Rob, is a devout Christian. He married his wife, Christina, a fellow churchgoer, and they’re amongst the sweetest people I’ve met. He told me that: “Although they say that Australia is a Christian nation….it’s still very popular. People think I’m weird for believing in God.’
Sad, but true. Yes, to each their own, but it seems like atheists are really, really pushing their views upon the rest of the world. I had a neuroanatomy tutor who did just that. We have the infamous “Letter to a Christian Nation.” We have people who claim that religion is all about violence, and the world is better off without it.
Au contraire. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Perhaps I’m biased, but I know that faith is what sustains dying patients in hospital, and faith is what helps their mourning families cope. Hospitals are places of death and dying, and this is where humanity, is in its rawest form. Strip away the distractions of everyday routine, and you’re faced with very mortal, very finite, incredibly vulnerable human beings. And in this state, people turn to God. And He listens.
Unfortunately, there are religious leaders who cause far more harm than good. This cuts across all faiths. We can name disgraced priests, imams, monks….but the point is not to give up on the concept of spirituality all because of a few bad apples.
Shaykh Nuh has been a Godsend. He’s my spiritual guide. I hope I can save up enough to do my medical elective in Jordan at the end of 2008, so I can also spend my evenings learning from him. His very presence is calming. Truly, he is beloved to God. Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad is another brilliant scholar. Both are so engaging, and they really speak to me in ways others cannot. And of course, my local scholar, Shaykh Naeem Abdul Wali. Hilarious, witty, and pure genius. He wrote this article Jesus and Muhammad (upon them be peace): Brothers in faith and the challenge of walking in their footsteps in a secular world. I highly recommend that you read it.
So if you’re searching for God, spirituality, faith – don’t give up. Don’t listen to the anti-religion chant that has soaked our angry, bitter world. Listen to that voice within you that is not content with material wealth and chasing this illusionary world. Listen to the stories of those who have found God, and felt inner peace ever since.
Most of all, listen to your heart, and to your soul. The less involved you are with the hallucinogens of Life, the more aware you are that there has to be a purpose to this life. I wish you the best in your journey, and hope you find the tranquility which you seek.
Largely misunderstood
I suppose it’s all-too common now….but I’ve come across a blog post strongly suggesting that I am oppressed. Why? Because I’m a Muslim woman. This is news to me. lol.
It’s unfortunate that so many people think this way. Perhaps it’s because lots of people rely on fabricated media reports. Or movies like ‘Not Without My Daughter’. Or books like ‘Forbidden Love’. Who knows? My responsibility is to clarify those points, because it would be a shame for my pristine faith to be tainted by the ignorance of others.
Trust me, if I ever felt oppressed, I’d be the first to be vocal about it, and instigate change. I’m headstrong, passionate, a 200% go-getter…how else did I survive the med school application process?? I don’t need to be rescued, nor do I need to be labelled. So the next time you hear of ‘poor oppressed Muslim woman’ – think twice. There’s more to Muslim women than meets the eye. Don’t like culture or ignorance fool you into believing otherwise. You owe it to yourself to know the truth for what it is.
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Key points of contention
1. The laws of God apply equally to men and women.
2. Men and women are viewed equally in the eyes of God.
3. Men and women have distinct roles, rights, and responsibilities.
4. Men and women must dress and behave within certain divinely prescribed boundaries.
5. Female genital mutilation has no basis in Islam.
6. Islam gave women the right to own property, to inherit, to vote, to divorce, to be viewed as the counterparts of men 1,400 years ago.
7. All Muslims are encouraged to seek knowledge.
8. Women are honoured in Islam. Heaven is under the feet of the mother, the mother is to be loved three times more than the father, a woman who dies in childbirth dies a martyr and is given Paradise, no Muslim woman has ever fabricated a Prophetic hadith (narration of his words or actions), and Muslim women have been amongst the greatest scholars in recorded history.
9. Men and women can reach Paradise, and ask for their hearts’ desire.
10. The arabic word for God’s mercy ‘Rahim’ or ‘Rahman’ have the same root word for the womb, or ‘rahm’
On knowing God
For too long, my practice of my faith was mechanical.
I had the outward trappings of the religious, conservative girl. From head to toe, I was every inch Ms Goody Two Shoes. But I didn’t know God. I didn’t love Him. Sure, I knew of Him and I knew I should love Him….yet the words on my tongue and the logic in my mind were not sinking into the recesses of my heart.
Two years ago, I underwent tremendous personal hardship. The kind of mental, emotional and spiritual agony which you would never wish upon your worst enemy. The end effect of these turbulent months was the most terrifying period of my life – the complete disentegration of self.
Everything I had held dear had been ripped away from me. I was broken, bleeding – a raw stump, open to assault. Every day felt like punishment. I was angry at God. I self-destructed, and would have continued, if it wasn’t for an old friend. She pulled me from the brink of destruction, dusted me off, made me face the reality that behaving like that was not helping my situation.
And so my healing began.
Forgiving myself proved to be the hardest part. I reconciled with my Creator by realising that He cared about me more than I ever did. I put things into perspective, accepting that certain decisions I made caused a lot of the heartache and headache. I forgave what was self-inflicted, and let go of what wasn’t.
End result? A much deeper, more spiritual connection with God. I see Him now, when I failed to, before. Every breath I take is Him sustaining me – I live by His will, and through His mercy.
And for this realisation alone, I am grateful for the suffering I endured.
“Peace unto you for that you persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!”
[Chapter 13, verse 24]
Med school tips
“O you who believe! Fear God and be with those who are true in word and deed.” (Surah At Taubah 9:119)
This ayat much sums up how to survive medical school, dear Muslimah. It’s a challenge, keeping company with upright Muslims when your course doesn’t have any! I would have loved to have you as my classmate as well.
An alternative to hanging out with like-minded Muslim students would be to stick to the ‘conservative’ bunch, for lack of a better word. Not the crazy party-animals, but the harmless, modest, conscientious lot whose idea of a Friday night is much more in line with yours! e.g. staying home with family vs getting intoxicated. I kid you not. They’re all great colleagues and hard-working, but live for the dunya, so they’re oriented towards different things. Having good character with your non-Muslim friends is also a form of dawah…Allah guides whom He wills, and perhaps through your good behaviour, Allah may guide a few to His Deen.
That being said, always remember that no matter how strong your faith is, the company you keep WILL affect you, for better or for worse.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (رضي الله عنه ), the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:
A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.
[sahih al-Bukhari, vol 3, #314 and Muslim]
Shaytan does not raid an empty bank, figuratively speaking, and all it takes is a small degree of deviation before a pious Muslimah/Muslim can fall from grace. Always be aware of that. Hanging out with non-Muslims may make you question your limited ‘freedoms’, in comparison to your colleagues who delight in the dunya.
Iblis said: “O my Lord! Because You have put me in the wrong, I will make wrong fair-seeming to them on the earth, and I will put them all in the wrong.” [Chapter 15, verse 39]
Bearing that in mind, always make sure you touch base with your Muslim family members, your Muslim friends….attend weekly halaqas if at all possible. Sign up to Sunnipath course so you can attend live sessions/recorded ones from the convenience of your own home. Read the Quran daily to keep you connected to Allah. Stick to praying on time, as much as possible, and inshallah Allah will put barakah in your time. Being in medical school is a blessing, and a privilege….so purify your intentions.
Inshallah you’re training to become a doctor for the sake of Allah and Allah alone, because He is the one who will reward you. Keep humble, and know that Allah was the one who created the circumstances allowing you to get in, and be His grateful servant by obeying His commands. Use medical school as a form of worship, inshallah you’ll be rewarded for every single moment of study which you do.
Hope that helps!
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I’ve been tagged by Snowdrops a while back…10 simple pleasures hey? When I figure out how to put up images, I will, and once I know 3 bloggers to tag, I will inshallah lol.
Here’s a brief list:
1: Chilling out with family.
2: Playing with my cats.
3: Having a warm mug of hot chocolate.
4: Coming home to Mum’s delicious food after a long day at uni.
5: Basking in the sun in my backyard. My hijab stays on don’t worry lol.
6: Browsing through www.masud.co.uk
7: Listening to Imam Anwar’s lectures.
8: Listening to Shaykh Nuh.
9: Reading Islamica magazine.
10: Being grateful to Allah for guiding me to Islam.
About the name-change – It’s Saliha now, because c’mon….all Muslimahs are inherently ubercool 
Back to study!
