3 Customs of the Muslims

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful


3 customs of the Muslims which will be discussed in this assignment


- 1) Worshiping other things besides Allah

- 2) Following pagan holidays

- 3) Shaving the beard


After my reversion to Islam I had only met Muslims who lived here in Canada. I found them to be very sincere and good people. My previous perception of Muslims was a reflection of what I had seen on the media. Once I was able to meet Muslims and see what they were like, I fell in love with them. These are a people who fear Allah, forbid what is evil and promote what is good. They pray and fast and do not take short cuts in their religion. The Muslims are those who believe in monotheism and take it to the extreme. They are so strict in their monotheism. These are people who would never worship anything besides Allah. They are truly the most wonderful people on the earth and I felt insecure that I would not be able to achieve their level of goodness. I felt that I could not be as good as them


I was on my way to the hajj and I remember thinking that the only trial I will experience is a physical hardship from the heat and excessive walking. However I am young and healthy and I do well in extreme heat. So I was not expecting any trials at all. I knew that where I was going non Muslims were forbidden to go. Therefore nothing could go wrong. Because at the time I knew that Muslims were the best of people based on my experience with the Muslims in Canada


Wallahi the greatest trial was seeing innovation in the religion when I was there. I was confused. I thought only Muslims were allowed there and I know that Muslims strictly forbid these innovations. I soon realized the difference between a cultural Muslim and a Muslim who had Islam in their heart. It is not my place to judge, these things are only based on outward appearance but Allah knows the intentions of their hearts


Of all the customs in the Muslim world the one which is the most filthy is the worship of other things besides Allah. When I was making tawaf I saw people rubbing their canes, knee braces and things such as their hats on the Kabah as if the Kabah held some type of power which a person could rub off onto a certain item. They would kiss it and try to rub their whole bodies on it. People would kiss station Ibrahim. I saw one person at mount Safra rubbing a pillar with his hand and then rubbing his face and he would rub it in such a way that it appeared as if he was receiving energy from it. One of the hajj guards saw this and chased him away. When I went to Madinah and to the prophet's grave we passed through to see it and continued on our way. When we got to the outside again their was a group of Muslims who had changed the direction of the qibla towards the prophets gave. They were praying and making duah towards the grave of the prophet peace be upon him. I could not understand what they were saying because I don’t speak Arabic however I fear that they were praying to the prophet instead of Allah. It was things such as these that made me so angry and sad that it brought me to tears. What is wrong with this Ummah? Why has it become the custom to worship other things besides Allah? The Kabah, the black stone, and the grave of the prophet peace be upon him have become idols for the Muslims


First let us define what is meant by the word worship. The word worship generally applies to a situation where an object or person is giving adoration or reverence. Therefore when applied to Islamic theology, any object or person given undue adoration or reverence is committing shirk


Allah has stated in Surah 2:29 It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth…


Also in Surah 6:101 …He created all things…


Based on these two ayahs a person can conclude that all things on earth are created things. The Kabah, the black Stone and the prophet peace be upon him are all creations of Allah. It is he who has created them. If Allah has created everything then it is only Allah that is eternal. Anything and everything is created and therefore has a beginning. Allah is the only thing which is not created and creates all things


Allah has said in Surah 6:102 That is Allah, your Lord! there is no god but He, the Creator of all things: then worship ye Him: and He hath power to dispose of all affairs


Allah has commanded that we worship him alone as per his statement in the above ayah which indicates there is no god except for him and therefore worship should be for him alone. Even from a logical standpoint a person knows that there is only one God and that we should not worship anything other than that. Worship is the adoration and reverence of things. Therefore to offer adoration to the stone and to the Kabah and to the prophet’s dead body is sinful and an act of Shirk


Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 26, Number 667: Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia: 'Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you."

Clearly the kissing of the stone is not an act of worship. The stone is simple a stone. There is no power that is giving off for the person who kisses it. It is similar to those people who kiss their kids or their wife. Are they worshipping their wife and kids? No of course not. Or it similar to someone who kisses the ground after being on a ship that almost sinks because of a severe storm

Is it any wonder that the stone has turned black? The stone came from paradise and used to be bright and shine from one horizon to the other and Adam peace be upon him used to make tawaf around it because he missed Jennah. However because of the sins of mankind the stone has become dark.

In regards to rubbing yourself and other things on the Kabah then it is clear that this is contrary to the sunnah of the prophet peace be upon him

Volume 2, Book 26, Number 676: Narrated Nafi': Ibn 'Umar. said, "I have never missed the touching of these two stones of Ka'ba (the Black Stone and the Yemenite Corner) both in the presence and the absence of crowds, since I saw the Prophet touching them."


The Prophet had only touched those two corners when making tawaf. He did not rub his body all over the Kabah and did not rub his clothes on it either. There is no proof in the religion to do this


The prayer to any other than Allah is disobedience to Allah and it will not be accepted of them. Therefore nobody should pray to the prophet


Surah 13:14 For Him (alone) is prayer in Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not…


Another custom of some Muslims has been adopted from the Christian influence. For example the celebration of Christmas, Halloween, and Birthdays


The origin of celebrating birthdays was from the Europeans who were a superstitious people. They believed that evil spirits were attracted to people on their birthday. So the Europeans wanted to help protect people from these evil spirits and therefore, friends and family would gather around and go to the home of the person whose birthday it is and bring good thought and wishes to them. Giving gifts would help to ward off the spirits and the bigger the gift the better. The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the druids among the Celtic people. It was a celebration in honor of their god. Part of their rites was that they would burn animals alive which would give them the ability to look into the future. They would also dress in terrifying customs so that the spirits would be tricked into thinking you were one of them


The origins of Christmas originates from pagan mythology regarding the winter solstice


We are not suppose to integrate or to copy. The prophet on many ocasions said to be different from the pagans


Allah has said in Surah 45:18 Then We put thee on the (right) Way of Religion: so follow thou that (Way), and follow not the desires of those who know not


If a Muslim believes that prophet Muhammed peace be upon him is a prophet and they believe that he is on the straight way such as mention in Surah 45:18 then why should we adopted something other than that? Did the prophet ever celebrate these holidays? Therefore it is not beneficial for us to celebrate them


The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood


These celebration did not originate from the Muslims or Islam and therefore to imitate it is haram and when a person does so they become one of those people. If a person imitates the Jews then he has become a Jew. If he imitates the Christians then he is one of them. We imitate our beloved prophet peace be upon him and therefore we belong to his ummah


Today it is the custom of people to shave their beards and to become clean shaven. Although there is a difference in opinion in regards to how long the beard must be, we are forbidden from shaving it clean


Volume 9, Book 93, Number 651: Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "There will emerge from the East some people who will recite the Qur'an but it will not exceed their throats and who will go out of (renounce) the religion (Islam) as an arrow passes through the game, and they will never come back to it unless the arrow, comes back to the middle of the bow (by itself) (i.e., impossible). The people asked, "What will their signs be?" He said, "Their sign will be the habit of shaving (of their beards). (Fateh Al-Bari, Page 322, Vol. 17th)


Do I need to say more? I fear for those who clean shave. This is a sign that they are not on the straight path. This hadith does not mean that if you shave your beard then you are outside the fold of Islam. This hadith is simple saying that there will come a people who recite the Koran however it means nothing to them and therefore have left Islam. The sign of these people is the shaving of the beard


The prophet instructed his followers to trim the mustache and to let the beard grow


Volume 7, Book 72, Number 781: Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "Cut the moustaches short and leave the beard (as it is)."


Volume 7, Book 72, Number 780: Narrated Nafi': Ibn Umar said, The Prophet said, 'Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Keep the beards and cut the moustaches short.' Whenever Ibn 'Umar performed the Hajj or 'Umra, he used to hold his beard with his hand and cut whatever moustaches. Ibn Umar used to cut his moustache so short that the whiteness of his skin (above the upper lip) was visible, and he used to cut (the hair) between his moustaches and his beard


Does anything more need to be said on this matter. These two hadiths clearly state that a person should grow their beard so that it is at least visible. Someone who shaves is disobeying the prophet and going against the sunnah. But today we even find Muslims in high positions of this dunya who shave. They are a bad example to their followers. But Allah knows best and it is he who knows the intentions of the heart


In conclusion we do not need anything else added to Islam or taken away. It is complete


Surah 5:3 …This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…


It is complete and has been perfected for us. This is of the favours of Allah that we don’t not need to wonder or guess at things we should do. Allah has given us this system and way of life. There is no way of life greater than ours and therefore imitation, incorporation and innovation in matters of religion is hypocrisy. But Allah knows best