Having the major themes that were mentioned in the previous article in mind, while going out for fun in Islam, we can realize if the sort of entertainment that we are up to, is lawful or not. Now, let’s have a look at a few lawful (Halal) fun activities:
In Islam having a good relationship with relatives is an obligation even if that relative is not Muslim [1]. Therefore having gatherings with friends, family and relatives is not even lawful (Halal) but also recommended, keeping in mind that in all sorts of gatherings we must avoid gossiping, backbiting, humiliating others, and using bad words, as they have prohibited in Islam [i].
In chapter (Surah) Mu’minoun when Allah is describing the features of a real believer, he says: “And those who avoid vain talk” (23: 3)
Although we have many verses with the content mentioned above, it does not mean that Muslims should be charmless and moody. Therefore we have to find out what vain talk really means. The vain talk could be a sort of talk that can annoy other people [ii]. However, telling jokes that have no bad content or have a sort of humorous attitude that can make the listener laugh and make him/her happy and energetic, is recommended in Islam. It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (AS) that “among the most precious actions in the eyes of God is to bring joy and happiness to the heart of a believer.” [2]
Having fun in Islam with the non-Mahram opposite sex is forbidden. Instead, getting married and enjoying a relationship with the spouse is highly recommended. It is narrated from Imam Baqir (AS) that, “the fun of a believer is in three things: enjoying his/her spouse, joking with friends, and the night prayer.” [3]
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) says: “Travel so that you stay fine and healthy.” [4]
Going out to nature, being only a few hours in a park or camping in the woods overnight, or traveling to other cities or countries is not only a change of mood, but there are also lessons and edification in it for a believer [iii].
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) used to encourage people to necessarily learn sports such as horse riding, swimming, and archery. There are many narrations concerning these three specific sports as well as other sorts of fun in Islam that our prophet (PBUH&HP) used to get involved in at his time. For example, it is narrated that he used to take part in camel riding races and he was really good at it.
However it does not mean that in our time we should stick to archery, horse riding, or camel riding, rather we should find the types of sports that suit our time and are also required in life. We can say that these days driving replaces horse riding. Or even cycling, karate and running or walking are easy and useful sports.
World championship sports these days mostly serve international political reasons rather than health and joy.
These kinds of activities are fun and exciting. Some people enjoy these activities alongside activities such as bungee jumping. Some people have adventurous personalities and need a kind of entertainment like this, so they can gain energy and stability to go back to work on a Monday morning. Therefore there is no problem to enjoy them.
Reading is a calming and relaxing activity. Sitting by the fire on a winter’s day and drinking a cup of tea while reading, or on a summer’s day doing the same thing on the balcony would be so joyful. Most of our jurists recommend inserting reading into our daily lives. But we have to be careful about what we read. Reading all types of books is, not lawful (Halal) for a Muslim. A Muslim should be cautious about the contents of the books she/ he chooses to read. The book should help elevate the life and soul of the reader and not engage his/ her mind with useless information.
Playing computer games as long as there is no unethical content in the game is not forbidden. If people play computer games to rest, or change their moods, it would be fine. But we have all seen how some people are addicted to digital games that have no use for them and only waste their energy as well as physically hurting them. However, spending too much time on a computer game that may have no use for the growth of one’s soul is detestable (Makruh). The same rule applies to movies. When choosing a movie to watch, it is important to make sure that the content of that movie does not harm our souls.
Playing cards, especially when a group of friends comes together can be fun. However, any sort of card games that are known to be used for gambling, even if we do not bet on them, is forbidden. Imam Reza (AS) said: “God has prohibited His servants from all sorts of gambling (games with winners and losers), and commands them to avoid these games…” [5], as they are “abominations of Satan’s doing” [iv].
In conclusion, by keeping in mind that the entertainment of a believer should do no harm to him/her or others, but should also have some benefits for him/her, we can understand why Imam Ali (AS) says: “working is the greatest fun of a believer”. [6]
Notes:
[i] “O you who have faith! Let not any people ridicule other people: it may be that they are better than they are, nor let women [ridicule] women: it may be that they are better than they are. And do not defame one another, nor insult one another by [calling] nicknames. How evil are profane names subsequent to faith! As for those who are not penitent [of their past conduct]—such are the wrongdoers. O you who have faith! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And do not spy on one another or backbite. Will any of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. Be wary of Allah; indeed Allah is All-clement, all-merciful.” (49:11- 12)
[ii]“Woe to every scandal-monger and slanderer” (104:1)
[iii]“Have they not traveled in the land and seen how was the fate of those who were before them? They were more powerful than them, and they plowed the earth and developed it more than they have developed it. Their apostles brought them manifest proofs. So it was not Allah who wronged them, but it was they who used to wrong themselves.” (30: 9)
[iv]“O you who have faith! Indeed wine, gambling, idols, and the divining arrows are abominations of Satan’s doing, so avoid them, so that you may be felicitous.” (5: 90)
References:
- Mafatih al-hayat, p. 211
- Al-kafi, vol. 2. P. 188
- Mafatih al-hayat, p. 205
- Al-hadith, vol. 2, p. 145
- Mafatih al-hayat, p. 205
- Nahjulbalaghah, Hekmah no. 39
On a cold winter day, I left the house for work while I really wanted to get back into bed. Cursing the heavy traffic, the crowded subway, and the noisy girls laughing loudly next to my ears, I finally arrived at my workplace, where my colleagues were talking about a thing called “Coronavirus.” At that moment, I never thought the issue might be so important. So, I ignored my colleagues and started to work.
A few days later, we heard about the lockdowns, the increase in the number of deaths caused by Covid-19, aka coronavirus. People were losing their dear ones, and they were afraid to participate in their burials and funerals. I could see with my own eyes the verses of the Holy Quran that say, “The day when a man will evade his brother, his mother and his father, his spouse and his sons, each of them will have a task to keep him preoccupied on that day.” (80: 34- 37)
We experienced days where everyone was worried about him/herself. Trying our best to buy and compile masks, soaps, and alcohol-based cleansers, we still thought that one of those Hollywood superpowers or the armies that save the world during the Armageddon would come and save the world. But, no one could do anything against these small viruses. That was where I could feel these verses of the Quran: “He had no party to help him, besides Allah, nor could he help himself. There, all authority belongs to Allah, the Real. He is best in rewarding, and best in requiting.” (18: 43-44)
Gradually, we stopped fighting the situation. We stopped panicking. We stayed home. Works and businesses were shut down. Schools and universities were closed. Visiting relatives and friends were forbidden. We were given some time for seclusion, some time to contemplate and come up with “what if” questions.
What if going to work and school and university are no more important? What if the isolation continues forever? What if the hospitals won’t let you in, even if you pay a significant amount of money? What if fame and wealth would no more be important?
Do we still care about what to wear in front of others or how to talk to present ourselves as high-class people?
All our routine acts become meaningless. Our social norms and behaviors are questioned. We realize that none of our worldly habits were worthy enough to hurt ourselves or others. Things should change.
In Coronavirus days and nights, we see ourselves so close to death. Any moment we may be diagnosed with Covid-19. When it attacks us, the worldly longings and belongings are not worthy anymore.
If we are influenced by the signs and messages that God is sending us through this disease, we don’t care about collecting more wealth. We don’t think about becoming more famous. The only One left for us is God. He is the one that won’t leave us alone in the hardest situations: the one “who created me, it is He who guides me and provides me with food and drink, and when I get sick, it is He who cures me; who will make me die, then He will bring me to life” (26: 78-81).
By these little viruses, as coronavirus, Allah (SWT) teaches us the most important lessons of life. He reminds us that we were not brought into this world to take the game so seriously since we should keep in mind that “The life of this world is nothing but diversion and play, but the abode of the Hereafter is indeed Life (itself)” (29: 64), and that we live in this world for a small amount of time to be prepared for our real life in the hereafter. So, Allah tells us: “…And whatever good you do, Allah knows it. And take provision, for indeed the best provision is God wariness. So be wary of Me, O you who possess intellects!” (2: 197)
The best provision is not what we keep compiling in our daily life. Money, positions and promotions, university degrees, social popularity, followers and likes on social networks, etc. are not what we have come to this world for. If they become our life priorities, we may become among those that Prophet Noah (PBUH) mentioned them as the one “… whose wealth and children only add to his loss.” (71: 21)
In many chapters of the Quran, Allah tells us the story of people of different nations who disobeyed their prophets, and the punishment of God destroyed them. However, Allah also mentions that to get out of the hardest situations you need to turn toward God: “If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth. But they denied, so We seized them because of what they used to earn.” (7: 96)
Therefore, the only way to escape the current situation is to return to God and live the way He wants us to live, for the best life in this world and the hereafter.
Returning to God does not mean to pray to him and ask for forgiveness and keep on having the same behavior as we had. To return to God is to try to quit our bad habits, revise our false behaviors, stay away from the forbidden acts, and stay committed to the obligatory commands and orders of Allah.
“Whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make for him a way out [of the adversities of the world and the Hereafter].” (65: 2)
The mourning tradition of Imam Hussein (AS) is one of the important and effective traditions that has undergone changes throughout history. These days, we see many ceremonies held by different people in various places around the world, in which the fundamental ethics that were the reason for Imam Hussain’s (AS) movement are being neglected. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to take a deep look at how we commemorate the martyrdom of the Imam and identify our mistakes and amend them.
One of the best ways to achieve authentic methods of commemorating Imam Hussain’s (AS) martyrdom, away from superstitions and distortions of this important tradition, is to study history. In this article, an attempt has been made to outline the manner in which the tradition of mourning for Imam Hussain (AS) was held by the Imam’s progeny (AS) and the goals that those nobles pursued in doing so.
The tradition of commemorating and mourning for Imam Hussain (AS) started from the very day of Ashura when Imam Hussain (AS) was martyred alongside his companions and sons. The first group to begin mourning were the household of the Imam and his companions. As they were taken captive and moved from city to city, they narrated the events of Karbala to people if towns and cities, and the first mourning started from then.
After the household of the Imam returned to Medina, they never stopped narrating the tragedy of Karbala and the oppression of Yazid’s Army and the reason why Imam Hussain (AS) did not compromise with Yazid. The household of the Imam, especially his sister, Lady Zainab, and His Son Ali (AS), were the first ones to hold commemoration ceremonies and people used to go to their houses to offer their condolences. [1]
There are numerous narrations recommending us to commemorate and mourn Imam Hussain’s (AS) martyrdom. However, it is important to understand why our leaders and Imams have emphasized on holding mourning ceremonies so much.
The reason, in fact, is not only to cry and have compassion for Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions, although loving the Prophet’s (PBUH&HP) progeny is what we are commanded to do, as Allah orders his messenger to command people about it:
“… Say, ‘I do not ask you any reward for it except the love of [my] relatives…’” (42: 23)
Nevertheless, the aim of Imam Hussain (AS) was to set a role model for all human beings who face oppression and injustice, and to teach them the importance of sacrificing all they have in the way of reviving human values.
Therefore, commemorating his martyrdom and revisiting his goals and values is a great opportunity for people to reassess their life goals, reconsider their lifestyle, and correct their mistakes.
Commemoration of Imam Hussain (AS) at the time of other descendants of the Prophet (PBUH&HP)
Since the socio-political situation at the time of Imam as-Sadiq (AS) provided a platform for promoting the true school of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP), many of our traditions and narration are quoted from him. Hence, there are many narrations and traditions from Imam as-Sadiq (AS) about commemorating and mourning for Imam Hussain (AS).
It is narrated that from the beginning moments of the day of Ashura in every Muharram, “Imam al-Sadiq (AS) became sad and cried over his noble grandfather, Imam Hussain (AS), and people came to his house from far and near to lament with him and offer condolences. When they stopped crying, the Imam said:
"O people, know that Hussain (AS) is alive and well with his Lord, and he constantly looks at his mourners and their names and their fathers and the place that is available for them in Paradise.” [2]
Imam al-Reza (AS) narrated about his father, Imam Mousa al-Kadhim that “As soon as Muharram came, no one saw a smile on the lips of the Imam and he was always sad until the decade of Ashura passed, and when the tenth day came, this day was the day of utter sorrow and calamity and he used to say: ‘This is the day that my grandfather, Hussain (AS), was killed.’” [3]
Therefore, it is very important to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) by narrating the true events that happened in the battle of Karbala. The importance of the commemoration for the Prophet’s progeny (PBUH&HP) is as crucial as keeping Islam alive. They tried to prove the legitimacy of Imam Hussain (AS) and the falsity of the claims of Yazid and the Umayyads, and this shows that the general atmosphere of the Islamic society was so poisonous that even some of the companions of the Imams were unaware of this issue.
However, it is important to hold the ceremonies in a way that does not contradict any of the Islamic rules and ethics since Imam Hussain (AS) mentioned in his will that “I have risen only to make a reform among my grandfather’s people. I want to command the good and forbid the evil.” [4]
No matter how small or big these ceremonies are, they are seen by God and the Imams and rewarded, as long as they follow the goal of Imam Hussain (AS) in reviving the religion of God.
References:
- Majlesi, M.B. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 196
- Tarihi, F. Al-Muntakhab, vol. 2, p. 483
- Sheikh Sadouq. Al-Amali, Majlis 27
- Majlesi, M.B. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 329