Again

Saudi Arabia: Will the Real Muslim Please Stand Up

Posted on June 23, 2010 by American Bedu

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I’m sure the title has probably caught your attention. This article is not meant to mock or to be interpreted as sarcastic. It is an observation based on personal observations and as a result of many comments that have made from other posts on the topic of Islam.

From my perspective and how I was exposed and introduced to Islam, Islam was straight forward and simple. If possible, perform all the pillars of Islam, be kind, be just, do not be judgmental and live your life in a “Godly” manner. These consistent actions from the heart are what make up a sincere and exemplary Muslim.

Arriving in Saudi Arabia it became clear there are differing categories of Muslim for both men and women.

Starting with the Muslim men, they can be found in long thobes and short thobes or even Western clothes. Some will be with or without beards. Some will typically carry prayer beads regardless of what type of dress they prefer. There may be some among them who will choose to drink alcoholic beverages.

The majority of the Saudi women will wear the hijjab (head cover). Many more will also wear a niqab or perhaps a complete face veil. Some believe it is mandatory for them when wearing their abaya and out in public, to also include black gloves and thick socks. Other women will only wear the abaya without gloves and open-toed shoes minus socks. Some Saudi women believe it is mandatory for them to forego make-up or to pluck their eyebrows. Other women will wear make-up and routinely have their eyebrows shaped.

But is the appearance really all that important when questioning whether one is a real or a sincere Muslim? Aren’t the actions and what is inside of one’s heart the most important when it comes to believing and living one’s chosen faith? One can certainly look “pious and all-believing” but that does not always equate to the reality.

Is Islam in Saudi Arabia more about uniformity than unity? How much has the culture impacted on the religion since both are so intertwined in Saudi? What is YOUR interpretation of Islam and the true Muslim?

My Comment

wan zaharizan, on June 24, 2010 at 8:50 am Said:

it is an interesting topic. What is a Muslim? Coolred38 says it well a Muslim is one who submit to the will of God i.e. he is a servile servant of God for we all are his servant or his children!!! Muslims of Saudi and Indonesia will be different as Muslims in China. Even their (the architecture)mosque is different!!! In Iran Syiah is the most prevalent school of thoughts but others in the world Sunni! But even Sunni School of thoughts is divided to 4 known groups and Wahhabi which is practice in Saudi is not considered Sunni by many!!! In Syiah there are the 12 Imans and ismailiyah is the most famous because the leader happens to be Aga khan!

Here in my country we practices Sunni of the Shafie school but our belief system is a bit different than Indonesia which practice the same. Here a renown Jurist has issued fatwa disallowing Allah to be use by christian while in Indonesia this is allowed!!!

How we became Muslims too was different. In many parts of the world it was by the sword but here in the far east it was through trade and deeds of the traders.

Again (the)temperamental (of the) people that became Muslim too must be taken into account. Cultural differences that exist makeths a Muslim present his religion in a belligerent form or not!!
So what is a Muslim? A sufi one says all human were born a Muslim it was his or her action in life points him or her to be a kufur or not!! A Muslim must strive earnestly to achieve a higher state of Man. A Muslim is not just praying 5 times a day pay alms or fast it goes beyond that!!! To be a Muslim is to achieve the lofty ideas of man and that sadly many Muslims fail tremendously!!

So again what is a Muslim? Why do we need to differentiate that by tagging us one or not! Enough that we believe that each one of us is following a different path which eventually lead to one. Sorry to digress years back I met 2 Afrikaners ladies and they ask me similar question. I answer them an example of a good Muslim is Mother Theresa and Jaques Cousteau. I answer by faith they are not but by their deeds they are!!! I hope that answer the perplexing question what is a Muslim