Islamic Customs and Reasons
Behind Them
Islamic Customs and Reasons
Behind Them
It is common knowledge that many of the customs and practices of
the Mohammedans of India are incomprehensible to most
non-Mohammedans. The primary reason is of course the Indian
Mohammedans' adherence to Islamic practices which are essentially
Arabic and therefore alien to India. The habits of the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) are copied and imitated in all practicable ways and
the Prophet (SAW) was of Arabic descent, which Indian Mohammedans
are not and that is true in spite of their Arabic sounding names.
Most know nothing of Arabic and all their knowledge of Islam stems
from what the local mullah tells them or from some English
translations that are within the reach of the faithful.
In the following text, the writer has endeavored to get to the
source material, which is often not that easy since most original
texts are in Arabic or at the least, in Urdu, which is
unintelligible to most Indians. The material is presented in four
parts. Undoubtedly, there are many more similar practices and the
curious and resourceful would be able to get to the bottom of many
such unknowns if he or she tries to do some research work on his
/her own.
Item 1:Urinating in a standing position
According to the sharia', urine is najis (or unclean). If there is
any drop of urine on the body or the clothes, then it must be
washed away before wadu, otherwise the prayer or namaz will not be
valid. A good mussalman will have to re-read the namaz once again
to get the full value of the prayer. A good mussalman needs to be
very careful about this matter. Some people do not pay attention
to small drops of urine on their body or clothes. This is not only
unclean, but it is also a sin in Islam. Imam Bukhari has a whole
chapter in his book of the Hadis on this subject and he titled it
as :One of the major sins.
To explain, he said: When a person urinates in the standing
position, it is very difficult to avoid drops of urine coming on
the body or the clothes. It is for this reason many Islamic
jurists forbid urinating in the standing position. However, if a
person is sick and cannot sit down or if the place of urination is
dirty, then it is permissible to urinate in a standing position.
It is reported in the Shahi Bukhari that the Prophet (SAW) went to
the dumps of some people and passed urine in a standing position
(Al Bukhari/Kitab al Wudu/Hadith #224). The commentators of this
Hadith have explained that this was because the place was dirty.
Some other commentators say that the Prophet (SAW) had some pain
in his leg at the time he urinated in a standing position.
However, it must be said that according to the Prophet's youngest
wife Ayesha (SAW), the Prophet (SAW) used to urinate always in a
sitting position.
The rule is that Mohammedans should avoid the use of urinals but
it is not totally forbidden to use urinals (for urinating in a
standing position); one should be careeful not to soil the body or
clothes. If there are any drops of urine on one's body or clothes,
then the drops should be washed away. There is no need to take a
bath or shower (ghusl). That is a relief!
Item 2:Urinating in the air
There have recently been some requests by many Mohammedan air
passwngers to modify toilet installations in airplanes to suit
Islamic practices. Responding to this question, the Aviation
Minister of Pakistan told the house that it was absolutely NOT
possible to make any modification in the existing fleet of
aircraft to facilitate Hajis traveling between Karachi and Jeddah
who might suffer some inconveniences while using European style
toilet and water basin.
When pressed for modifications to suit Mohammedan passengers, the
Minister said that the PIA will 'investigate the possibility of
restructuring toilets of the new fleet to be inducted in the
airline in the future'. However, the Minister hastened to point
out that 'desi' toilets and showers are available in the departure
and arrival lounges of both Jeddah and Karachi airports and all
passengers are free to use them. After all the flight between
Jeddah and Karachi lasts only four hours.
Item 3:The Joy of fasting
It is not realized by many (both Mohammedan and non-Mohammedan)
that the fasting undertaknen during the month of Ramazan, by the
faithful, is not based on the number of hours in a day of 24
hours. It is based on the time period between sunrise and sunset.
Those among us who do not go by the 'flat earth theory' know that
the time period between sunrise and sunset varies from latitude to
latitude. It only means that the length of a day varies depending
how close or far one is from the two poles, the north and the
south.
It is thus quite clear that those who reside near the equator have
more or less a twelve-hour day. Mohammedans living in those areas
must fast nearly twelve hours a day during the month of Ramazan.
Not so for Mohammedans living in New York for instance. They can
get away with a seven and a half hour long fast. At the north or
south poles, near Kamchatka or Adelaide in Australia, the rigors
of fasting will be even less strenuous.
Will the credit for fasting will be calculated accordingly? That
is question none of the Hadith-masters seem to have told us yet!
Item 4:Urinating during the ritual of raising buttocks in the air
(The following text in Roman Urdu has been taken from the Urdu
original, first appearing in the Akhbar-i-Watan of London, dated
24-31 October, 1990. It tells us about, among many other things,
what are the hazards that can nullify the good effects of the
namaz.)
Namaz ka tareeqa
Agar ek shakhs ko yeh dahm hone lagta hai keh doran-i-namaz men us
ki riyah kharij ho gayi, ya peshab ka qatra nikal gaya ya aur
naqas wazu yane wazu ko tod denewali harkat sarzad ho gayi to us
dahm ki shuru ki nagah men koi ahmiyat nahin jab tak woh shakhs
apne dahm ko haqiqat na mahsoos kar le maslan agar woh akhraj
riyah ki awaz sunta hai, us ki boo mahsoos karta hai ya peshab ke
qatra ki nami dekhta hai, to beshak use az sar to taharat karni
padegi lekin agar woh nami nahin dekhta, awaz nahin sunta, boo
nahin mahsoos karta to us ki namaz jayez ho jaegi aur use wazu
karne ki zarurat, na namaz ke todne, aur dohrane ki.
(Easy English rendering of the above)
If some one feels that during namaz prayers, one unintentionally
broke wind or a few drops of urine escaped or some such other
mishap took place then ordinarily one's namaz becomes uselss. One
has to, under normal cirumstances, read one's namaz a second time.
However, even under such circumstances, if while breaking wind,
the namazi feels that he has not heard the sound that usually
accompanies such accidents, or if he has not felt any bad smell or
if the supposed drops of urine did not manifest themselves in the
wetness of his clothes, then he does not have to repeat his namaz.
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