Abstaining from Modernism
Recently one of our students went to a modern, islamic institute, where they do not allow thawbs. He went on a Friday intending to pray Jumah salah so naturally, he entered the masjid with a thawb on. However the committee in line with their modernistic policies, forced him to remove his thawb.
Leaving the thawb and shortening the beard, has become a key part of the modernism that is spreading within our communities. The kuffar have realised that they can not stop the rise of Islam. So now, they are trying to create fitna by painting a different, modern version of Islam, which is at odds with our true faith. Abstain from falling into this trap.
Hold firmly onto the original, true deen. This can only be done when we seek knowledge from the correct sources.
We have many different types of ‘scholars’ nowadays. Amongst them, we have a group of maulanas. These maulanas wear short kurtas, sit in humble classrooms and lack the 21st century modern look. Yet it is these maulanas that have preserved deen for us. In the way they dress, speak and carry themselves, they are the ones who have preserved its traditional teachings.
I’m not saying other scholars are not serving deen. We have many arab ulama, but often, asal deen it found amongst deobandi ulama and those that follow a madhhab. The drive against them is dangerous for our traditional teachings.
Youtube and other online outlets poison the minds of people, making them believe that islam needs a reformation and the mazahib are outdated and incorrect. People hear an individual speak arabic online and they get carried away instantly, sacrificing years of traditional, deeni practises, in favour of these new ideas.
Do not be easily swayed and led astray. Be careful who you take your deen from. Hold onto three Ts: Tableegh, Tassawuf and Taleem, they will keep you guided and grounded.
Furthermore, in times of need, turn to the ulama. Why do so many of us learn deen online? Websites that teach islamic sciences, are there to cater for those who cannot access ulama in their locality. If there are ulama local to you from whom you can directly learn, then why go to a site? Why opt to sit behind a screen?
Sit with the ulama, learn directly from them, because the benefit derived from a scholars presence cannot be felt online. Online caters for those who do not have local islamic madrassahs; if you do, go to a madrassah.
In an attempt to appease people and the public, we are confusing ourselves and ruining our beautiful deen. Sometimes, we shave our beards to appease. Sometimes, we remove the purdah of female voices and put them on the radio to appease.
We sound like we are progressing in deen by keeping up to date with the times, but what we are doing is very wrong. Stick to the asal. There is no other Islam, there is no need for modernism. The true, original, traditional deen is what we need to implement and spread in our lives. That is where happiness lies.
May Allah make us from amongst those who preserve deen Aameen.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه اللّٰه
