This is an issue that has become widespread in the Maldivian community: The issue of extreme and absurd close-mindedness with regards to religious issues. Unfortunately, many who claim to act in accordance with the Sunnah.
Look, for example, at how some refuse to attend Jum‘ah prayer with the excuse (well, forgive me for saying it's an excuse; it just seems to me to be so) that it's held at 12.35 after the time passes as they claim. Those who refuse to attend Jum‘ah prayer with this (I repeat) excuse give a deaf ear to all explanations for the government's decision to do so. I understand when many people on the street refuse to listen to Maslahah Mursalah(1) , but I simply can’t understand how some who claim to have obtained a religious education choose to be so close-minded.
When someone who has obtained religious knowledge says that, ‘Even if ‘Umar (Radiyallahu ‘Anh) were to create a Bid‘ah(2) , it would be one’, it’s not simply an absurdity; it’s an atrocity!! No matter how high an education one of us may obtain we cannot forget that the education we obtained is nothing compared to being educated at the hands of the Blessed Prophet (PBUH). Even among the companions of the Prophet (PBUH), Umar (Radiyallahu ‘Anh) has a high prestige as there have been several accounts of divine revelation confirming his opinion in several issues.
What’s more, when anyone of us decides to forget that the actions of the blessed Companions are considered among the sources of Islamic Shari‘ah. This isn’t an ‘addition’ to the Shari‘ah made by ignorant people, but a source that has been approved by the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
I do understand that this may be a sensitive issue. However, one must not forget that Islam isn’t a forum for follies and silly arguments, rather an avenue of understanding and open-mindedness. What more the absurdities of close-mindedness are spreading in the Maldivian society like a plague. Someone has to talk about it!!
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(1)Maslahah Mursalah is an act that is in the general interest of the Muslims that has neither been expressly denied, nor explicitly considered by the divine texts, and one that is not in contravention with the basics that Islam stands to protect.
(2)Bid’ah is an action that has no basis in religion that someone claims to be part of religion.
