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Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

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Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#321

Post by BossingAround »

peanuty1 wrote: post #249
yousifa wrote: post #6

I will add, the fasting from food and water is the easy part. The more important fast is fasting from everything that is bad -- cursing, backbiting, lying, etc -- and from your own desires. All these things are things you shouldn't do anyway, but this is a time to refresh commitment to not doing those things. As the Quran says: "Oh, you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before yo…

Fasting from sexual desires is the hardest part for me.

It's from sunrise to sunset, no? Can't you get it on at night instead of during the day?

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#322

Post by nashashmi »

IMTDb wrote: post #305
hd4 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like you're coming at this from a similar standpoint to one of the other major religions which I would rather not mention as I don't want to start a religious war here. In Islam you're not hated or judged for what you call your true feelings. You are however instructed to gain mastery over those feelings and make them subordinate to you rather than the other way around. Fasting is one of the things that c…

> In Islam you're not hated or judged for what you call your true feelings. You are however instructed to gain mastery over those feelings and make them subordinate to you rather than the other way around To me, that sounds like a very fancy way of saying : repress your feelings and who you are to conform to an arbitrary set of rules written by one dude hundreds years ago. Enlighten me on how are you supposed to act/…

Repress your feelings of desire for your neighbor’s wife. Do not act on those feelings. Stay away from anything that could even slightly make you sinful or think of sinful desires.

This is a form of discipline and mastery of desires. Enlighten me how this is not what a faith built on God’s word should be commanding on any individual?

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#323

Post by nashashmi »

ryzvonusef wrote: post #187

Every time Ramzan rolls out, we here in Pakistan have squabbles over eye-witness evidence of moon sightings and thus start (and stop) of the holy month. We will be celebrating Eid on Saturday but some celebrated today following Saudi Arabia. It's an annual tradition of confusion. Also, this: https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567790-intent-law

That is in most countries where they actively seek the moon. There is going to be squabble about visibility. If not visibility, then there is going to be squabble about which other community’s visibility you should align with. Pakistan is the least squabbling country.

See crescentwatch.org

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#324

Post by mattigames »

dang wrote: post #320
mattigames wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About the "not post anything" part, is not as easy as you think, I hold myself accounttable to my actions and the lack thereof, so like many here of my most valued principles is to do good, as in "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing", so sometimes I weight the likelihood of being banned (or just disliked, in general) against any positive impact my comment might have e…

If you feel that way, there are far more important things to do than post on an internet forum.

There is always something more important, but we all can't be doing that, one powerful way to make a difference is pushing from all the angles and places, not only the ones deemed "important", that is it how it has always been, many one important parts of history started by two unimportant strangers socializing in some unimportant place.

Anyway, thanks for your work, I may disagree with some of your decisions but know most of your actions help make this forum worth reading.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#325

Post by nashashmi »

desertraven wrote: post #312

Just more generally, I was wondering if people might share their experience of Islam? I'm quite ignorant honestly. How did you come to find the religion? What impacts (positive and negative) does it have on your life? One thing which has made me uncertain, is the praising of martyrdom throughout the Quran. How is this aspect reconciled within peaceful societies? I mean no disrespect through this question, and recogni…

Definitely not the best place to ask but I try.

Martyrdom in literal terms is death by any means other than natural. So if a building collapses on a person, they are called martyred. I am not sure which one you are referring to but if you mean the martyrs of battle, they get a special kind of salvation on the day of judgement.

Your fourth question is funny. Peaceful societies are transient. When push comes to shove, no society is “peaceful”. Islam works upon an order of laws that command action and discipline at all times including during persecution and battle. The first physical battle is one for your defense. The second battle is one for the liberation of another. Anyone who dies in this cause is given a certain kind of salvation different from any other. But to be honest, the salvation is not the highest of salvation that one could get. There are higher magnitudes.

Islam gives a person structure (as all religion do?), an absolute perfect guidance, and an order of hierarchy that puts God above all, and the worshiper as His slave. From this point on, the worshiper struggle and strives in the path to establish his prayers, pay the charity that is due, and fast.

My journey is one of successes and falls. And persistence. It helps me discover personal flaws, work towards eradication, and then discover deeper truths and more concealed flaws. And upon an endless cycle that I hope by the time I meet my lord, I am free of any and all imperfections. Without Islam, I am a slave to my desires and intellect, which is self driven, and misleading.

Last note: A Muslim is one who submits to God, follows the religion of Abraham called Islam as conveyed by Muhammad, peace on them both, who was gifted with a miracle called the Quran. It is the only religion that specifically came by design for all of mankind. And though this is a challenging statement to make, the Quran is bold enough to make it. I cannot imagine a book or making such high claims, and not fail them even after so many centuries, without being a miracle itself.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#326

Post by vladvasiliu »

BossingAround wrote: post #321
peanuty1 wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fasting from sexual desires is the hardest part for me.

It's from sunrise to sunset, no? Can't you get it on at night instead of during the day?

Don't know how this works for Muslims, but if it's anything like for Christians, the goal is to not have the desires to begin with, not just refrain from acting on them (though that's a good start).

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#327

Post by nashashmi »

loo wrote: post #285
hd4 wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Islam pretty much is a framework for how you deal with God and for how your life here and hereafter will be according to that relationship. That's all it is. You also acknowledge that even straight people have constraints in Islam, i.e. no sleeping around etc, why not also argue that it's somehow terrible that straight people have to repress their desire to fornicate? "You're invited to participate in our faith so lo…

You've buried the lede that the core framework does see homosexual behavior as "wrongful sexual desire", "regressive behaviour". You can accept that or not, but it's disingenuous to equate asking gays never to have sexual or romantic relationships, to asking non-gay people just to curb excess. That's not an equal imposition, it feels like self-equivocating ad-hominem to read "you're not being targeted here, so can yo…

Someone who has a thirst for illicit relationship with women must also refrain from doing so.

Forbidding a person from lusting anyone other than spouse whether they like it or not is no different than forbidding a person from having gay desires. And no amount of self identification can label that inhumane.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#328

Post by nashashmi »

counttheforks wrote: post #216
hd4 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No I didn't say that at all, and that's a petulant response honestly. Re-read my comment. I said Islam instructs people to make their feelings subordinate to them rather than the other way around. The other replies to the GP were not so different from what I'm saying. You're hardly required to state your sexual orientation each time you pray, if that's the sort of line of reasoning you're taking here.

Perhaps I misunderstood you? What did you mean with > instead you are seen as a blank slate and whatever actions you do impact your life here and the life hereafter I assumed you meant that people will be welcomed because they are a blank slate that can be written upon by those seeking to influence them.

Lol, Blank slate does not mean for others to write on you. Blank slate means for you to be free of your own tendencies and not be beholden to your desires. And able to write your own Character.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#329

Post by mattigames »

dang wrote: post #301
mattigames wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Religious flamewar will get you banned here, regardless of how right you are or feel you are, so please don't post like this to HN again. Edit: we've been having to warn you about breaking the site guidelines for many years: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21477839 (Nov 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21477824 (Nov 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21358557 (Oct 2019) https://news.ycombinator…

I can see how much of an asshole I can be in some of those comments, but I can see at least one where you were a bit more stricter than was called for, I will not deny that such opinion is likely to be biased, ha.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#330

Post by hd4 »

rvense wrote: post #244
hd4 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hate to be that guy, but that's not at all what Islam says about why fasting was prescribed, and it's actually super clear about the purpose. I mean this is pretty basic, so I don't know why I keep hearing that same old line. "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness." https://quran.com/2/183

Do you have a source beyond your own "clear" interpretation of this verse? I think if you dig deeper you will find that it's what the tradition says, what the recognized commentary on these verses say, and certainly if you ask Muslims what they think it's about, this is what they'll point to. That matters too.

I'm not interpreting the verse, I'm telling you what's there, just read the verse, go through all the various translations. No interpretation necessary. Like I said, Arabic is adequately expressive to just say "fasting is about reminding you poor people are suffering" if that's what the purpose was. No need to equivocate. Even the commentary is secondary to what the verse actually clearly says. If a verse says "God is One", do we really need a commentary to point out where there could be room for 2 Gods?
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