{"id":4908,"date":"2012-08-17T01:21:18","date_gmt":"2012-08-17T01:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?p=4908"},"modified":"2012-08-17T01:21:47","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T01:21:47","slug":"practicing-islam-is-an-all-or-nothing-attitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2012\/08\/practicing-islam-is-an-all-or-nothing-attitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Practicing Islam is Not an All or Nothing Attitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>By Nasia Ullas<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few weeks back, at an office get together, a colleague (who isn\u2019t Muslim) told me how he used to fast four days for a particular festival observed in his faith. But he stopped fasting once he started eating meat (meat is\u00a0to them what bacon and pork products are\u00a0to us Muslims). He believed\u00a0there was no point in observing anything, as he has let God down.<\/p>\n

There are so many among us who feel the same way. \u00a0It needn\u2019t even be related to our beliefs. It could even be a diet program, where our mind faltered and we\u00a0had a piece of pizza. The next thought is, \u201cAll\u2019s lost. Now let me as well have a chocolate cake and a few fried pieces of chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n

This has happened to me. This has happened to all of us. This \u201cALL or NOTHING attitude\u201d should not be the case.<\/p>\n

Coming back to Islam, a few of my other friends who have decided it\u2019s best to let it all go, say, \u201cI haven\u2019t prayed for the last ten years (or so). There is no use starting now. Is there?\u201d Not to mention that we live in a society where no matter how much we do, it never seems enough, especially when it comes to religion.<\/p>\n

If you pray five times a day, you will sure be asked, \u201cDo you pray the sunnahs<\/em>? If not, shame on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you do pray the sunnah<\/em>, you will be asked about the nafil<\/em> prayers. If you don\u2019t pray nafil <\/em>prayers, then shame on you.<\/p>\n

We are surrounded by all too many people who, instead of making us feel included, are always trying to make us feel inferior. No accolades are given for trying. We just need to be perfect. On the other hand, if you are someone who never prays, they actually let you go. He has never prayed in his life. Period \u2013the \u201cALL or NOTHING\u201d attitude again.<\/p>\n

Laylatul Qadr \u2013 Harnessing the Power<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are currently in the holiest days (and nights) of the Islamic Calendar year. Laylatul Qadr<\/em>, which means the Night of Destiny\/Decree, is upon us during these last nights of Ramadan. This is the night that Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed by Angel Gibreel to our Prophet Mohammed (saw). The Quran says:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months!\u201d And:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever stands in prayer, in Laylatul Qadr out of correct belief and seeking reward then his previous sins are forgiven.\u201d<\/p>\n

As kids, my mother instructed me and my brother to pray the Maghreb<\/em> (sunset) prayer daily on time. (The five prayers aren\u2019t obligatory on children.) She did this to instill a habit in us not to forget the prayers. We also automatically transitioned to the five prayer schedule as we grew older, without my mother pushing us to do it.<\/p>\n

I may or may not be right to recommend this method to adults, but I am going to. For those of you who feel they have wronged so much that they have no way back, or for those of you, who haven\u2019t prayed for the last 10-15 years, you need baby steps. Don\u2019t always go by the \u201cALL or NOTHING\u201d rule. Starting with one prayer a day and then gradually increasing to five is definitely better than staying away altogether.<\/p>\n

You may be laughed at by few, who might say, \u201cOh, when did you turn religious?\u201d You may even be lectured by a few of those know-it-all religious pundits who say, \u201cFive is fard<\/em> (obligatory). There is no use doing just one.\u201d But, I still recommend the gradual approach.<\/p>\n

We are often taught how God punishes those who don\u2019t follow Him, how God will curse those who sin. However, many of us\u00a0forget the meaning behind the line we repeat\u00a0so often in Islam:<\/p>\n

Bismillah ir Rahmaan ir Raheem<\/em>: In the name of Allah, the most GRACIOUS, the most MERCIFUL. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Quran says, \u201cEven if my slave has sins as big as mountains, I will still forgive him, because my mercy overcomes my wrath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allah is most known for His mercy. There is no sin that we can\u2019t be saved from. Ours is a religion which gives plenty of second (third or fourth) chances. Humans may not forgive us. They might\u00a0not want to include us because we aren\u2019t perfect. But you don\u2019t need their permission to find your way back to Allah. All you need to do is ask His Forgiveness, and no better time to do it than on these last ten days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n

Nasia Ullas is a South-Indian engineer who works at Hewlett Packard and has a diploma in creative writing. Spiritual writing is her passion. She blogs at http:\/\/nasiasramadan.wordpress.com\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This piece is part of our ongoing series on Ramadan, featuring reflections, stories, and articles from Muslims and non-Muslims on their Ramadan experiences. Keep checking altmuslim <\/a>for new pieces throughout Ramadan.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Nasia Ullas A few weeks back, at an office get together, a colleague (who isn\u2019t Muslim) told me how he used to fast four days for a particular festival observed in his faith. But he stopped fasting once he started eating meat (meat is\u00a0to them what bacon and pork products are\u00a0to us Muslims). He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":4909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,271],"tags":[278,273,67,26,321,320,52,303,34,1504,319],"class_list":["post-4908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-ramadan","tag-allah","tag-fasting","tag-forgiveness","tag-islam","tag-laylatul-qadr","tag-mercy","tag-muslims","tag-prayer","tag-quran","tag-ramadan","tag-salat"],"yoast_head":"\nPracticing Islam is Not an All or Nothing Attitude<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Nasia Ullas A few weeks back, at an office get together, a colleague (who isn\u2019t Muslim) told me how he used to fast four days for a particular festival\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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