Pixelated Scribbles

The handymen (yes, “men”) are occupying the bathroom. Oh dearie me~ When will I be able to take my shower? Will I be compelled to go to Uni without a shower? *cringe* I knew I should’ve showered before solat Subuh!

Anywayyy…

Abu Hurairah r.a. reported: The Messenger of Allah S.A.W. said, :”Every Muslim has five rights over another Muslim): to return the greetings, to visit the sick, to accompany funeral processions, to accept an invitation, to respond to sneezes [i.e to say Yaharmukallah (may Allah bestow His Mercy in you), 'when the sneezer praises Allah].” (Al Bukhari and Muslim)

Ever heard about how Muslim men are not allowed to mingle with Muslim women? Well, it’s a myth. Interaction between them is fine as long as it is not against the shariah laws e.g. no touching, no hugging, no flirting, no exposure of aurah, no one-on-one etc. Look up on Islamic adab and akhlak (i.e. manners), for those who are interested in knowing more about this.

In reference to the above hadith, it mentioned “every Muslim”, so that makes BOTH the men AND the women. Hence both muslim and muslimah should greet each other when they see each other, exchange invitations, and pray and care for one another. As for lowering the gaze part (An Nur : 30-31) – it’s often been understood out of context. Lower your gaze ONLY if you look at them with desire. It’s all about the heart, bebeh. So how are we meant to look at each other? With compassion, understanding and responsibility. That’s how! But if he/she is just too hot to handle (sehingga ke tahap menggugatkan iman), then by all means lower your gaze.

Al-Bara’ r.a. reported: The Messenger of Allah S.A.W. said: “Two Muslims will not meet and shake hands without having their sins forgiven (by Allah) before they depart” (Abu Daud).

The Prophet S.A.W. said: “Exchange gifts and mutual love arises; shake hands, and enmity will fall away.”

But of course, non mahram men and women can’t shake hands, or hug each other – but we surely can exchange gifts! Also, if a sister comes to a brother with problems, he doesn’t (shouldn’t?) say..“Err…ermm…I don’t know. Stay away from me. You’re not halal for me! I’ve sinned! I’ve sinned!” Instead, the brother is OBLIGATED to give advice (nasiha), or help the sister in any way possible. The same thing applies when it’s a brother that is seeking advice from a sister. A problem shared, is a problem halved indeed.

As for the act of responding to sneezes, it is an example on how we have the right to pray for one another. The welfare of others is as much of a concern as our own (e.g. visiting one who is sick, and attending funerals – as mentioned in the first hadith). A sister in islam is about to get married – we pray for them. A brother in islam is having some problems – we pray for them. If there’s nothing much we can do for another person – we pray for them.

So Muslims aren’t really anti-social. We just have limits as to how we should interact with one another – with non-mahrams, with the opposite sex, amongst the muslims, and the community in general. These limits is not a hinderance to socialising. Instead, they safeguard us from inappropriate behaviour, scandals and what not. So all is well, people…all is well~

May Allah give His Blessing to the Sheikh who passed down this knowledge to us.

I’ll talk about Boy Girl love affair next time round. As soon as I can make some see-able progress on my assignments!