Blissful

Salam, As a member just mentioned, these severe punishments have been mentioned in Christianity and Judaism also. Of course we can't deny this, it is within the Sharia and shouldn't shy away from explaining it. Stoning isn't in the Qur'an but rather, lashing for adultery etc. I'm not knowledgable enough to confidently say how far scholars have derived stoning from ahadith and whether it is contested or not. So for the sake of the lashes which is in there, then I say the following: The important thing to remember when explaining to people who do not understand this concept is that as Muslims, we find stoning, lashes etc just as severe. Now depending on the country and its system, the implementation of the Sharia can vary. Understandably, Western liberal notions have 'securitized' fundamentals of Islamic Law for their benefit, and sensationalized concepts which are the last resort. Things like stoning, burqa, lashes, punishment. They are all hard concepts to understand in democratic societies which assume Islam to be backward and against their social, economic and political norms. For example divorce. The steps to divorce someone, whether it be talaq or khula, are there because they are a deterrent to fully going ahead with a divorce. Allah swt has shown two people in a marriage the turmoil in seeking a divorce especially if it is absolutely unnecessary. Likewise with punishment as stated in the Qur'an. There has to be witnesses, there has to be justification. At the end of the day these are deterrents, as are the descriptions of Hell to the believers and disbelievers. Allah swt does not wish any of these punishments against His creation. When explaining this to someone, you need to highlight that within every religion there is a corresponding set of punishment that are a. the last resort and b. varying in implementation especially regarding what context the person is in. The beauty of Islam within Western legal frameworks is that it doesn't denote parading around this concept of capital punishment and it's the people who do so which feed the fire in Western media. You can't implement the punishment if you are not under a COMPLETE, ABSOLUTE Sharia government. This is the best that I can explain it. At the end of the day it is contextual, dependent on government & implementation and most importantly, a deterrent to what is forbidden & disliked by Allah swt. WS! :)

Shameful to admit, but I haven't picked up a book for yonks. Unless it was university related. And now that I'm done, I have a complete mind block and have lost my pace in reading. Any recommendations for something witty, dark & sarcastic? Something to catalyze this void lol!

A tragicomedy or satire

Bump. Just checking up on this hot thread I started, ya know. :P

Salam, Well - if she seemed to attract you outwardly that's the first step. Although it's not all about looks, there is no denying that attraction is definitely an important factor. At the end of the day you have to like what you see. In saying this, she doesn't have to be top of the notch - attraction also grows with getting to know the person & marriage. If she looks alright to you, then ask to meet her with her parents permission. Regularly visit, and speak to her under her own roof - so in other words, when your families visit each other, every now and then you two can speak in an open room (with your families present in the house so there is zero isolation) and perhaps get the gist of how she is when it is just you and her. This process usually takes place and has a time limit of its own - sometimes you need months, sometimes weeks or even less. There is no calibre anyone, nor your family, hers or anyone who will reply to you, as to when you should go ahead with it. You will know yourself when you are comfortable, and so will see. And you will both have made the intention that you are right for each other. Don't do it under anyone's pressure, and go into it with an open mind. You need to ask her important questions: how will she uphold her marriage with you? What does she like/not like? How will she raise her kids? What are her boundaries? There needs to be mutual knowledge and support from you both so you feel like you know enough to take that huge step. And when it's all agreed upon with families, and you two most importantly, and everyone is happy then voilà! Bob's your uncle. Or in our case, Ali, Hassan, Hussein, Mohamed or Mahdi :lol: WS.

Salam, Short answer: no. I respect shia/sunni marriages, I have direct family members married to sunnis. But the difference between them and me, is exactly what another member mentioned above and that is preference. It depends to what extent you are practising. And to what extent you can be tolerant. My sister for example who is married to a sunni, does not regularly attend Shia programs, isn't as familiar with events regarding ahlul bayt (as) and even the Sahaba for that matter. Her children however, are attending the mosque with their father and learning his path. Both parents are fine on the matter. I however, could never be able to do this for the sole reason that I disagree with the actions of the very figures which our Sunni brothers and sisters revere. I am more practising of the "shia" aspect of my religion as a Muslimah. As a family we are absolutely fine on the matter, my parents are very firm on their belief in Shia Islam but also very open minded and see the act of marriage between the two as a step closer to unity, and so long as there is mutual respect then there's no beef. Talk about it with her but before you do that, ask yourself: - What her reaction would be to certain aspects of your jurisprudence and vice versa? - How will you define Islamic principles and explain to your children when they are aware enough to know the difference? - Yes we are equal and unite on the basis of our shahada and so much more, but how will you meet half way with her? She may be as tolerant as you are, and for that matter there's no harm in doing so. It comes down to practise, preference, tolerance. May Allah swt grant you the patience and perseverance, if it is what you want then talk to her, see what she thinks and go for it. She may not have the viewpoint that I have, every body is different. Good luck!

uh, "I am KhalilAllah. I struggled to figure out a thread topic so here goes nothing!" :lol:

This poem is beautiful, on so many levels.

Wow, is the ridiculousness in this thread that contagious to everybody? Everyone condemning the elephant in the room is becoming one themselves. You either make your comment, VOID of name-calling and childish sarcasm, or you ignore. S. i. m. p. l. e

Salam, After you've broken your fast with dates: one third water, one third food, one third air. If dates are all you can or want to eat, then I'd assume you'd eat more than the recommended 3. But just going with a date would deplete your already struggling body of energy. People binge the minute they sit down and this eradicates all the health and spiritual benefits of fasting. Of course this is hard to adhere to, and that's coming from the sweet tooth that runs to the sweets table after iftar :lol: But in saying that, adhering to what I mentioned is, I think, the recommended etiquette of what/how to eat when breaking your fast.

I want Servidor to come back. Don't know if he has been as active since last year. But I really did enjoy reading his posts.

WS, You've got a bit of a conundrum going on. There are two issues: 1) You may find that the parents of the girl are not supportive, but she may be. 2) Neither will be supportive of the matter. It's hard because you wouldn't want to conceal the matter to the parents of a woman who you are not bound to yet. Even to her, because she will obviously discuss your future plans with her parents and your duty bound to give her, more than her parents, that sense of direction before you are married. Then again, if you are persistent with a girl you really want to marry, then you have to work hard on her parents. If she agrees with you and her parents don't, I wouldn't give up. A lot of the time, people get thrown off when it comes to the parent's opinion regarding their prejudices against nationality, future plans etc. and they don't persist on the matter. If she is that supportive, then technically she has nothing to do with her parents (regarding the hawza matter specifically) and you will have her support after you are married. So I guess those are the few possibilities for you. You either stay it out with a girl who is set on you before and after marriage, or you continue your pursuit in finding the girl AND the parents who will support you. You won't get the best of both worlds. Good luck!

WS, hiya! Hope you have been well Marbles. I think it just might be :D I hope so as much as you. I haven't written anything in a long time. So forgive me if my future posts are rusty :lol:

oh hi guys