Phrases & Sayings
Question:-
I know that there are Hadith about greeting each other with "Salam" equal to or better than that with which we have been greeted. When I first became Muslim and was told to use expressions like "Insha Allah", I got the impression that their character and number was an awful lot like the practice of Zoroastrians (who had little prayers for almost anything they did), but I learned and used these expressions anyway, since (being white and speaking with a Canadian accent) nobody would guess me to be Muslim if I didn't do at least something to alert them to my faith... :)
Rahim wrote:-
There is a tendency among Muslims to behave in a dualistic way. When they are at work, or at supermarkets in USA they behave normally and their talk does not have any extraneous insertions.
But when they are in a Mosque or at a religious occasion they decorate their talk with frequent use of phrases like INSHA ALLAH etc. I looked at the sermons of the Prophet (S) and he did not use such extraneous constructs as much at all. It also does not seem to be the practice among his companions.
Whose Sunnah are we following when we behave like this? Not of the Prophet. Perhaps of our Ulema and Imams. Do they have precedence over Quran and the Prophet? Or are we just falling into a trap?
Comment:-
We are required to remember Allah frequently in all we do.
The expressions containing the word Allah should be uttered for this purpose. They are not extraneous.
If they become mere empty slogans uttered because of habit without thought then they are not just useless but harmful because it desensitizes consciousness to the word " Allah" which ought to elicit a particular reverential experience. Taking the name of God in vain was, therefore, forbidden in Hebrewism. This rule I think should still apply.
The uttering of these phrases also inculcates and indicates a certain mental attitude - a degree of humility, a reliance on Allah. It is the absence of this that leads to conflicts between persons who mistake their opinions for Truth.
The idea that we must avoid things because other religions practice it e.g. saying "Amen" is absurd. Islam is the Universal religion that accepts all Prophets and confirms past teachings. All we have to worry about is to distinguish between what is good and what is evil and to avoid what has been forbidden.
I think that uttering these phrases in order to show that one is a Muslim is good or bad according to motive. If done for show and attracting attention to oneself it is bad. If it is means to invite inquiry into Islam then it is good.
As for following Sunna, it must be done with intelligence and not imitatively (though there is some piety in imitation). It is not only the faith but also the situation, which dictates what we say or do. The idea that the frequency with which something is said is itself sunna does not appear to me to be an intelligent one.
When in the Mall, Supermarket among strangers who do not understand there is seldom a situation where these phrases need to be uttered. If there are appropriate situations one can do this quietly to oneself.
In a Mosque and on religious occasions one is among Muslims who do understand and the situations or discussions may be suitable. For instance, if an opinion is being expressed and its truth is doubtful or uncertain or if someone intends to do something but there may be difficulties and obstructions preventing the action, and so on.
If I do not now add "But Allah knows best" readers might think that I am arrogant enough to suppose that what I have written is the absolute truth. I do write with a certain amount of conviction but knowledge can increase and amendments can be made.
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