Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was appointed as Allah’s last Messenger to establish Islam on earth as guidance for humankind before the final reckoning. He was the leader of Muslim Ummah; their guide and role model.
Prophet Muhammad’s actions, both personal and public, were divinely guided, so much so that he became the epitome of lofty, righteous conduct and character. He was loved and looked-up-to by the first Muslims, who emulated, imitated, and admired him by incorporating his actions completely into their own practical lives:
{Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins} (Aal Imran 3: 31)
Read Also: Why Is Prophet Muhammad A Role Model for Muslims?
Allah’s love and pleasure with a believer, man or woman, is conditionally dependent upon the level at which he or she loves and obeys Prophet Muhammad; that love should be reflected as adopting the Prophet’s habits, qualities and personality into his lifestyle.
Challenges of the Contemporary World
Following the Sunnah was something done automatically and wholeheartedly by the Prophet’s Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all).
Now, times have changed, and following the Prophet’s Sunnah in the everyday life has gradually become quite a challenge for today’s Muslims. Here are only a few reasons for that:
1- Modernity
Advances in science, aviation, technology and industrialization have rendered life fast-paced and hectic.
It is considered old-fashioned or primitive if one follows methods that are “obsolete” viz discovered centuries ago, instead of the result of some modern research, scientific findings or data study. It is a “modern” fashion, for example, to shave off the beard, instead of growing it.
2- Peer pressure and corporate culture
Everyone nowadays works for a living – even the elderly, women, teenagers, and sometimes children. Lives revolve around career rat races and corporate ladder ascension. People are reluctant to compromise on careers when practice of a Sunnah becomes an obstacle in them.
For example, a Muslim woman might not be allowed to wear hijab at her workplace because of its strict employee dress code, and might need to protest to lengthen her skirt according to Islamic injunctions.
3- Pressure to ‘assimilate’
Muslims living in non-Muslim majority areas are constantly under the pressure to prove the steadfastness of their faith, or else relinquish it for the secular lifestyle. Adherence to strict halal dietary laws, for example, might be a challenge, if no other food alternatives are available.
Sending children to public schools might undermine their religious upbringing; however, home schooling poses the risk of social isolation.
A Muslim who refuses to drink “socially” viz not attending banquets that serve alcohol as per Prophet Muhammad’s instructions, might eventually be relinquished by his social circle altogether.
4- Ethnic Culture and Tradition
Many Muslims who want to practice Islam face pressure from older generations of Muslims in their own geographical and ethnic environment. The older generation sometimes give preference to culture over the Prophet’s Sunnah.
5- Invasion by Technology
Technological devices and information sharing have now enabled pictures, videos and other content to be viewed and shared with others anywhere, at any time. Explicit and impermissible content is no exception.
Muslims today face the challenge of how to follow some Sunnahs of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) despite fitnah (a trial or hardship that puts faith to severe test, or makes obedience to Allah difficult) surrounding them e.g. lowering the gaze when provocative pictures of women appear even on cell phones whilst reading the news.
6- Deviant Islamic Group
Unfortunately, some groups among Muslims have fallen into innovations in Islam. Innovations are those religious practices that have no basis in Islam; which the Prophet did not endorse. Whenever someone falls into practicing innovations, he relinquishes the Sunnah.
The post How Can Muslim Women Live the Sunnah Today? appeared first on About Islam.
source https://aboutislam.net/shariah/refine-your-heart/tips-and-steps/how-can-muslim-women-live-the-sunnah-today/
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