Tuesday, October 14, 2008

How to be a good Muslim, and reactions you get when you tell people these rules

Sahih Muslim;

Book 002, Number 0502:
'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be npon him) said: Ten are the acts according to fitra: clipping the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the tooth-stick, snuffing water in the nose, cutting the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the hair under the armpits, shaving the pubes and cleaning one's private parts with water. The narrator said: I have forgotten the tenth, but it may have been rinsing the mouth.

1 & 2) Clipping the Moustache and growing the beard - The reason why one clips the moustache and grows a beard is to fight polytheists

(Ibn Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be opon him) said: Act against the polytheists, trim closely the moustache and grow beard. (Sahih Muslim 2:500, 501))

Polytheists get beaten by this look because they get scared. It is an old trick used by many Romans. Case in point, the guy to the right. No polytheist would want to face a guy like that. Case in point - No one wants to deal with a guy like that
3) Using the toothstick: Because good breath is very important. In fact it is the same reason why garlic has been outlawed as part of Islam (http://muslimhadith.blogspot.com/2008/05/allahs-apostle-forbade-eating-of-garlic.html)
However, it was not important enough to require forcing one to brush with the toothstick while praying: (Sahih Muslim Book 002, Number 0487: Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Were it not that I might over-burden the believers-and in the hadith transmitted by Zuhair" people" -I would have ordered them to use toothstick at every time of prayer.
But, when farting, one must restart their prayer (Volume 1, Book 4, Number 137: Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The prayer of a person who does ,Hadath (passes, urine, stool or wind) is not accepted till he performs (repeats) the ablution." A person from Hadaramout asked Abu Huraira, "What is 'Hadath'?" Abu Huraira replied, " 'Hadath' means the passing of wind from the anus." )
4) Snuffing Water in the Nose: Why do Muslims perform this action? Because none other than Satan lives in one's nose
Volume 1, Book 4, Number 137: Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said. When any one of you awakes up from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose.
5) Cutting the nails - So sins can come out of them... Apparently, if you have dirty nails, the sins may get clogged up
Book 002, Number 0476:
Uthman b. 'Affan reported: The Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) said: He who performed ablution well, his sins would come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails.
6) Washing the Finger Joints - It is just the way Muslims do things... All Muslims should wash the their finger joints. In fact, one should especially wash their finger joints by having others lick food stains that are on their fingerjoints, http://muslimhadith.blogspot.com/2008/07/mohammad-original-kfc-colonel.html
7) Plucking the armpits: A new excuse for the Iranian Burka police
8 & 9) Cleaning the pubic regions - I told a guy that he should shave his pubes and he said "that is the gayest thing I ever heard. He was Muslim, and when I told him Mohammad ordered it, he said "No way"...
But, washing the pubic region is extremely important. However, one should remember not to cleanse themselves with bones or animal dung as Mohammad befriended Jinn, and ensured Jinn would find food on animal dung and bones http://muslimhadith.blogspot.com/2008/05/animal-dung-is-food-of-jinns.html
Now you have it - the reason why the above actions are fitra
But ultimately, why are these actions fitra? What is the unifying theme between all of these actions? I have no idea...

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