"Halal" - A Catalyst for Refining Culture

Many people complain about the "restrictions" that Islam applies to liberties in areas such as accepted male-female interaction, forms in art, literature,  media, entertainment, jokes, work, finances, food, and dress.  Muslims have a special word to describe the permissible forms of such activities. They call them halal (permissible) as opposed to haraam (impermissible).

Why halal?

Rather than leaving people to carry out activities with no guidelines, Islam places certain parameters that are according to the natural disposition of mankind. Doing them otherwise would violate the principles of their essential being which they are divinely created to operate on. These parameters on human activity, allow us to rise from our crude base selves and evolve into our full potential.

Islam does not change the fundamentals of culture, but it refines it based on correct thought coupled with halal action. This is evident in societies which Islam impacted whether they be North Africa, the Levant, Persia, Turkey, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. Islam was the catalyst the filtered and refined the ancient culture to come up with the best, by subjecting them to the parameters of halal.

When people are forced to operate within halal parameters they develop their intellectual abilities to come up with something useful, exquisite, subtle, and elegant that did not exist before. Thus, it refines the culture from the easy, direct, base, and vulgar haraam possibilities that are common in non-Muslim cultures. 

• Male-Female Interaction

Unrelated men and women are to observe proper dress code and a degree of formality. They are not to meet each other in seclusion. They should be careful about the tone of their voice and their body language.

Such rules allow synergies between the sexes to achieve great achievements without opening the door for the development of unlawful desires among them.

• Art

Muslim art does not show created beings as their depiction can open the door to polytheism. Moreover, it is not vulgar or blasphemous. Such guidelines led to the evolution of new forms such as Arabic calligraphy, floral patterns, geometric motifs and, refined architecture that can be seen in masterpieces like to Mosque of Cordoba. In the Middle Ages, Muslim art was copied all over Europe. 

• Literature / Media

Halal literature/media are not vulgar, blasphemous, derogatory, and hateful. The eloquence of the Quran and the historical eloquence of the Arabic language set the standard for quality Muslim literature/media. The impact of Islam on every non-Muslim civilization resulted in a tremendous refinement of their language and literature. 

• Entertainment / Jokes

Believe it or not, even Muslims like to have fun. Nevertheless, their amusements are inclusive and devoid of negativity. Muslims cannot have fun at the expense of other, either individuals or groups, nor can their fun be vulgar, blasphemous, or based on falsehood.

• Work / Finances

Halal work is based on ethical principles. It should be based on fair effort, devoid of interest, deception, and ambiguity. Work should be constructive and beneficial.

• Dress

The Muslim dress code covers the hair and the whole body for a woman, except after the wrists and the ankles. There is a difference of opinion about if the woman's face needs to be covered. For the man, everything from between the navel to the knee needs to be covered. 

The clothing for both sexes should be loose and opaque.

• Food

Normally when we think of halal we just think of food. Halal food is devoid of pig products and alcohol. Furthermore, the permissible animals need to be slaughtered in an Islamic manner.

Jokes In Islam

Contrary to popular belief, enjoying jokes is permitted in Islam. In fact, the Prophet (SWAS) was known to jest to strengthen his relations.

Anas b. Malik narrated: A Bedouin named Zahir brought presents from the desert to the Prophet. As he was leaving, the Prophet also gave him presents and told him:

“Zahir represents us living in the desert and we represent him living in the city.” Although he was physically an ugly man, the Prophet loved him dearly. While Zahir was shopping, the Prophet hid behind him and asked “Who am I?” Zahir recognized him.

Then the Prophet asked, “Who is going to buy this slave?”

Zahir replied: “O Messenger of Allah, do you find me worthless then?”

The Prophet replied:

“Are you not a slave of Allah? You are very worthy in Allah’s presence (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Tirmizi, Kandahlavi, III, 1176).

Nevertheless, the following types of amusements are not permitted in Islam.

 

1.    Making jokes at the expense of hurting an individual's feelings 

 

2.    Making jokes about different groups of people, e.g. nationalities, etc.

 

3.    Vulgar jokes

 

4.    Jokes based on lies

5.    Jokes based on the religion

A Speech of Peace

 

Just before the arrival of the Prophet (SWAS) in Madinah there was great anticipation among those who had never met him before. Among them was Abdullah Ibn Salaam (RA) who was a Jewish Rabbi who later became a Muslim. 

He was a keen student of the Torah, where he had carefully studied the characteristics of the prophet to come. When it was announced that the Prophet (SWAS) was about to enter Yathrib, he was amongst those in the forefront. Upon observing the face of Muhammad (SWAS) he declared, “this is not a face of a liar”.

At this critical juncture in history, the first speech the Prophet (SWAS) gave was critical. It reflects the priority of a minority seeking refuge in a multi-religious host society. That  Hadith reaches us through the narration of Abdullah Ibn Salaam (RA).

Abdullah ibn Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived for the first time in Madinah, I went with everyone to see him. When I saw him, I knew his face was not that of a liar. The first words he said were, “O people, feed the hungry, spread Salam (greeting of peace), maintain your kin relationships, and pray at night while others are asleep. With this, you shall enter Heaven in peace.” (Al-Bukhari)

This hadith which begins and ends with Salaam (peace) and is reported by Abdulllah Ibn Salaam (RA) is known as the Hadith of Salaam.

Social Interaction of Prophet Muhammad (SWAS)

 

1. He was not confrontational 
2. He was not extreme with people
3. He did not involve himself in what did not concern him
4. He did not criticize people 
5. He did not pry into their personal issues
6. He spoke meaningfully and only if it was beneficial 

A Treasure at Home

The home library might seem like a burdensome fad from the past, especially now that books are produced with digital rather than paper formats. Libraries are now going virtual in the cloud rather than physically in our homes. It certainly makes moving easy and we can practice minimalistic living. Nevertheless, the advantages of a traditional home library outweigh those of a digital library.

The government of Sharjah campaigns for families to have a home library due to their emphasis on the education and development of their people. Every year, they hold the biggest international book fair in the UAE, which is visited by the whole population. The streets of the Buhairah Corniche become clogged and parking near the venue becomes elusive.

Amazon was a breath of fresh air in terms of the availability of books outside North America. In the early 2000s, it was considered a luxury to have the latest books delivered to your door through Amazon. Yet now online shopping is ubiquitous making the desirable physical books available almost everywhere. 

In those parts of the world where public libraries are rare or are for just show, there is little recourse but to purchase books to read. This is even more so when our subjects of interest are not very popular. It is rare to find Islamic books in English, not tainted with orientalism or popular Western bias, in the public library. We also struggle to find books on history, Islamization of the sciences, self-development from an Islamic perspective, etc. A home library should have books of interest to all members of the family.

In a home where a physical library exists, the likelihood that family members taking advantage of it is more than if they know that a digital library exists in the cloud somewhere. This is especially true if there is a culture of self-education in their parents. The home library can be better utilized if there are restrictions on digital distractions that most homes have, e.g. TV, movies, video games, social media, smartphones, etc. 

Oreo

 

Being a Muslim is independent of ancestral culture per se. To be faithful to Islam, we do not necessarily need to speak, dress or eat like our grandparents.

Similarly, being “White” is not about appearances. We have so many oreo cookies who are colored from the outside and white from the inside. The society we belong to is not determined by our inherited appearance and behavior per se but rather what ideology we have internalized.

 

With time, the internal beliefs result in an external culture which naturally springs from who we really are inside.

Islam in a Secular World

In an age where religion has become increasingly irrelevant, why is Islam the exception? Mainstream thought now equates all religious beliefs as originating from ancient myths and superstition. This is not surprising as the supremacy of reason in the last couple of centuries has a way of discrediting belief in all the matters of the unseen. It is understandable that this is the case with Western religious traditions and scriptures, as they have been liberally corrupted and used for selfish motives for millennia.

When the global thought leaders declare something from the experience of their own religious experience, it is expected that the whole world will follow, especially when the world’s religious beliefs are clearly based on myths as well. Who in their right mind can rationally justify the superstition in traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, etc. that have no clear messengers or intact authorized divine scripture.

Thus, the whole world feels little inhibition about jumping onto the secularism bandwagon. They believe in the rationality of science to explain the observable while being agnostic about the unseen. With regards to their ancestral religion, they now use it for just fossilized cultural traditions of their heritage, like the celebration of festivals, marriages, deaths, etc. With the death of their god(s), their religion has also died. 

In an increasingly secularized world this might be true for everyone except the Muslims. In contrast, Islam is the only real challenge to a godless world. Never before since its initial expansion, has the destiny of Islam been brighter than today when it is the world’s fastest growing religion. It is growing in all societies of the world.

The causes of this exception are many. Perhaps the simplest reason is that it is the Truth which is once again emerging to expose the falsehoods of the New World Order. It is the first and only religion of mankind. As a natural way of life for all humanity, other religious traditions were offshoots of this original which were later corrupted.

The presence of a divine scripture verbatim in God’s own words, a living miracle, preserved 100%, in a language which is still spoken and understood today, with centuries of scholarship makes the Quran's guidance accessible to each seeker of guidance today. 

The last teacher of Islam, Prophet Muhammad’s (SWAS) private and public life is extensively documented in a system of historical record taking that is so foolproof that the reference system of modern research was built based on it. Prophet Muhammad (SWAS) was sent as a teacher and example to the whole humanity so that they may learn from him by emulating his experience with the Truth of Islam.

In contrast to other religions, Islam is based on scholarship using the senses and critical thinking to arrive at conclusions like modern scientific inquiry. Nevertheless, it is not “blind” like it, in that if revelation from God says something it is believed even in the face of seeming “irrational” based on the human senses and experience. Indeed, reason is not infallible, and the believer is humble to recognize that God knows more that they do. The fact that the sources of Islam, the Quran and the Sunnah are intact means that this methodology can successfully applied even today.

If the West was quick to throw the baby of true belief with the bathwater of corrupted ideologies in its search for a modern methodology of global progress and learning based on reason, Muslims do not need to follow them. Instead, they need to re-educate the world about a balanced methodology of learning and development based on faith and reason.