Hypocrisy in the name of God and Same-gender marriages

The US supreme court's decision to legalize same-gender marriages has sent shock waves in the religious world. It seems, so say the pious people, that the throne on which He sits is shaking. Some people are predicting the coming of the doomsday and some people are suggesting that the punishment meted out to Sodom and Gomorrah would inflict upon Americans and their allies soon. Some people are suggesting that pious religious people should leave the country, some are even suggesting to revolt. They assert that Shaitan, (devil)  has completely overtaken the country and God is ultimately subdued.
Among Muslims, the issue is even more serious. Clerics are fuming and the average person is re-questioning his decision to live in a country where marriage is no longer defined as a union between a man and a woman. Muslims living in different parts of the world are shaming Muslim Americans for being a witness to this intervention in marriage rules.
But is it about same-sex marriage or is there a bigger issue involved in this?
How come these people did not see the coming of doomsday when the Netherlands first legalized same-gender marriage in 2000? How come they did not make noises when 20 other countries followed the course? These countries are: The Netherlands (2000),  Belgium (2003), Canada (2005), Spain (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009, Argentina (2010). Iceland (2010), Portugal (2010), Denmark (2012), Brazil (2013), England and Wales (2013), France (2013), New Zealand (2013), Uruguay (2013). Luxembourg (2014), Scotland (2014), Finland: (signed 2015, effective 2017) and Ireland: (2015)
None of these countries faced any known divine wrath in the last 15 year and none of the people raised the level of noises when these countries were legislating the bill and none of them pointed fingers at communities for allowing it to happen.
So why now? And is the gay marriage the issue.
Reductionists would make us believe that America is the greatest immoral force ever existed in history and the same gender marriage is the peak of that immorality. They see America as an embodiment of oppression, arrogance, filthy capitalism, unbridled racism and promoter of satanism in the name of freedom. They argue that sexual deviation is the worst kind of sins in the eyes of the divine, hence America is doomed and with it the rest of the world is also doomed.
Realistically speaking, the issue is not about same-gender marriage, even though it appears to be so. The real issue is much bigger than the sexual preferences of individuals. It is about God and His domain and his revelation. Does it really matter that we believe in divine guidance in a true sense? Does it really matter that He is followed in all aspects of life? Do people have a right to deviate from His path and guidance? Or they have no choice? In other words, the issue is about the concept of God that we as people have. It is about our relations with him and it is about our rights as human beings and choices as well.
Human beings, throughout, human history have demonstrated three major patterns in their relations with God.
1. God is all-powerful and the creator of everything. He has given guidance to human beings in every aspect of life and If people do not follow the guidance, they will be punished in this life and the life hereafter.
2. God is all-powerful and creator of the universe, but he does not want to interfere in matters pertaining to social life and it is up to individuals to decide and determine what is best for them.
3. It does not matter who created the universe. We inherited it and it is our responsibility to decide its future on the basis of the decision of the majority and the most powerful.
Despite the existing differences among these three approaches, those who accept God claim to speak on his behalf have in fact behaved in a manner that is exemplified by the third approach. They have used and abused the divine guidance to serve3 their interests invoking his name. They have created hierarchies of people based on their so-called piety and commitment to the divine words.
There is no consensus among people of God about the definition of God, His attributes, His domain, and powers. Each religious group negates the definition of God by the other. In view of each, the universal God is a God of their communities. There are no divinely recognized universal guidance and even in issues o marriage, they have major differences. The history of all religious communities including Muslims explains that vividly.
 When it comes to homosexuality, all religious communities and religious leadership is guilty of committing it secretly. Catholics have done it, Hindu pundits do it, Buddhist monks do it. Jews do. In Muslim countries, especially in Muslim religious seminaries, homosexuality is a norm and not an exception. Yet, few have challenged it and did anything substantial to eradicate. They all try to cover it up and brush it aside as a nonevent. In all Muslim countries and communities, fornication and adultery are not uncommon, an act that is considered a major sin, yet no one really does anything to challenge it. Call girls circles do exist and brothels, hidden and open are not invisible in several places. Thousands of Muslim girls are inducted in the prostitution business every year and yet no one talks about it.
Oppression of innocent people, denial of rights to labor and persecution of the weak and the disadvantageous are common, yet few raise the issue. child marriages, children and spousal abuses are no exception and widely prevalent in our world extensively. Murder and terror are also present and destruction is caused in the name of God regularly.  There is not a single vice that has not been committed in the name of God by those who claim to be Muslims, Christians and Jews and the followers of any other religious traditions.
In almost every aspect of life, despite their claims that they are the recipient of the divine message and the follower of the divine guidance, the vast majority of people have acted in defiance and rebellion. It does not matter whether this defiance is in matters pertaining to the divine norms of marriage or social justice. The religious community, by and large, has acted in a hypocritical manner. While condemning the deviations, it has allowed it to be practiced though secretly.
What right any religious community has to condemn same-gender marriages when it has always indulged in deviations in defiance of God. Look at the Jewish community. It has violated the fundamental rights of Palestinians to live as decent human beings and it claims to be carrying out the will of God. Look at the Christian community, it has been involved in colonization, slavery, violence for centuries in the name of God. Look at Muslims. they indulge in racism, terror, in denial of rights to women, child abuse in the name of God. Look at Hindus. They have institutionalized inequality by dividing human beings in various caste and persecuting them according to their positions. Look at Buddhists. They indulge in violence against the weak.
Show me a single community that has lived the divine guidance in essence. They are hypocrites and they have no right to judge others for what they are doing. Their leadership is hypocritical and has no moral rights to point fingers to anyone. They have not stood for justice, for equality and for honesty and integrity. Rather, they have allowed every deviation to take place to serve their financial and political interests.
In Islamic traditions, God has given permission to humans to deviate from his path, defy him, reject him and ignore him. This choice is inbuilt in the structure of the faith. It is a guaranteed right that God had given to the first deviant, Satan, to pursue and propagate his defiance without facing any consequences in this life. If Shaitan has been guaranteed the freedom to deviate without any consequences in this world, then why the society has to punish those who follow him. God is tolerant of the opposition, but his creation does not want any opposition to existing. God could have destroyed Satan, but he allowed him to live and prosper. In fact, he even promised him a non-interventionist approach in the domain of Shaitan.
Humans in the divine scheme have the free will to choose whatever path they want to choose. The divine explains that their deviations would not cause hurt to them and their society as they would not be able to cause any hurt to God or to those who truly believe in him.
In the divine scheme, people bring disasters to them by their own actions. The same-gender marriages are in fact a statement asserting the right to self defines oneself without the guidance of God, a right that is given by none other than the one who calls himself the divine. If that right is theologically accepted, then why is this noise and hypocrisy?
In fact, the argument of the religious community is totally abused. It is so because it goes against the divine scheme and divine will. If he had willed, he could have made all of us a uniform community. Hypocrisy can never win an argument. It always creates more deviations.
Who had prevented the religious community to develop a sound and rational argument in support of their point of view on marriage? But all religions negate each other. Each call the other false religion. Each describes the other Satanic. How can any sane person believe in their credibility? Each has different rules of marriage. For instance, restrictions in marriages pertaining to who one should marry and not marry make the entire institution status-driven and discriminatory. How could they develop a unified perspective when within their own traditions they have differences.
The religious communities all around have failed to define marriage in a universal sense. Each has restrictions in the name of God and even if a man and a woman want to get married, issues related with a dowry, color, status, religion, ethnicity, language, and social custom prevent one from exercising the right freely. A Shia cannot marry a Sunni and vice versa. Catholics are discouraged to marry Protestants. Jewish orthodox cannot marry reformist. It's a mess out there in religious circles.
So the issue is not the same-gender marriage. It is divine guidance versus unbridled human freedoms. Can humans exercise their free will to reject the divine will in all aspects of a lie? Yes, they have every right to do so. But while doing that they have to be honest to them and the divine words. They cannot twist the words to suit their interests. If those who advocate the religious view point do that they would be no different than the religious communities.
Without any doubt the scriptures define marriage a union between a man and a woman. Why use the same term to define same-gender union and why to say that is endorsed by God. It is hypocrisy to act in such a manner. Does it mean that benefits that are given to a married couple of man and a woman should be denied to others? No, legally and socially, no one can be deprived of their rights as human because they do not follow a particular divine commandment. 
Yes, I as a believer in the divine guidance reject this life style. But I have no right to prevent others to indulge in this life style other than expressing my point of view. I have no right to create laws that would diminish their freedom and choices and human rights. My job is to convince people around me that my perspective is dignified and humane. But throughout history, people who have claimed to be religious have always acted in an inhumane and oppressive manner towards others. Each has indulged in discrimination, murders and killings of the other. Each has persecuted the other as a deviant. Each has denied equality to others in every possible way. So the religious communities, in general, have lost any moral grounds to stand firmly and challenge it.
Deviation from the divine law has always been part of human history. God has always been defied. It is not new. What is important is that those who believe in the divine message truly reflect it in their life. Otherwise, it would be a hypocritical stand. And this is what what we have been witnessing in our times. Let God do his job and let us do our job by explaining to each other who we are and what we stand for. Only through this open debate and dialogue, we would be able to find our humanity. 

The purpose of Abstaining from Lawful things? Benefits of Ramadan

Should we call it the month of fasting or the month of abstinence? Well, our scholars say that "the word saum means "to abstain from something" and according to the Fiqh it means abstaining from eating, drinking, sexual acts and all evil actions with the intention of pleasing Allah, from true dawn to sunset." This definition needs further explanations.
1. All those who are fasting are required not to eat and drink from dawn to dusk. They can eat during the night.
2. Only married couples are required not to indulge in conjugal relations during the time of fasting.
3. Physical intimacy between unmarried male and female members of the Muslim community is prohibited regardless of the month.
4. Intention to please Allah is not confined from dawn to dusk. It is a part of one's life.
5. Avoiding evil is also not confined to dawn to dusk in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar. It is a commandment that is valid for all time and all months.
So what is so significant with this month of abstinence?
The main purpose is to empower each individual to take control of him or herself and ensure that they emerge stronger in every aspect of their life. So Ramadan is not the peak of one's commitment to Islam. It is the beginning as it prepares those who abstain for the next 11 months as well to live a meaningful and disciplined life.
Before the season begins for National Foosball League or Baseball or Basketball, the players go through a vigorous and rigorous training schedule to prepare them for the season. Similarly, those abstaining have month-long training to prepare them for the rest of the year.
There are two aspects to the abstinence.
1. Physical endurance
2. Spiritual enhancement
Physical endurance is a very subjective issue. For instance, those living in Australia or South Africa would have 9 to 10 hours fasting in 2015 and it would not be as hard for them to abstain from food and drink as it would be for people in Nordic countries. Depending on the climatic conditions one lives, physical endurance would be different for different people. So one cannot say that the fasting was primarily for the purpose of physical fitness or detoxification.
We cannot also argue that it is to help us go through the feelings of those who live in constant poverty and hunger. The fact of the matter is that despite whatever we say, we hardly care for finding a solution to poverty and hunger. Every year Muslims spend millions of dollar in serving food to those who are already fed. During the last 1400 years, we have not found any institutional solution to hunger as the gap between poor and rich has been on the rise in Muslim majority countries. If going through the hunger and thirst was meant to help us identify with poverty struck people, then we did not fulfill the purpose, not only us but the very learned and very pious as well.
Let us understand the real purpose of abstinence as described by the Quran that reminds us that "you may act responsibly or become conscious of Allah." Being conscious of Allah means we adhere to his guidance in all aspects of life and we respect the fellow human beings as we are required to do. It means living a disciplined life in this world.
Hence, the Prophet was very clear about the purpose of abstinence. He recognized that people will abstain from food and drink and will go through the cycle of hunger and thirst and he advised that unless there is a qualitative change in the behavior, attitude, and action, abstinence from food or water would not be considered the valid act of worship.
Thus the prophet said that those who lie, who backbite, who make false oaths, who complain all the time and who lustfully look at their fellow human beings would lose the essence of abstinence as the saum would become invalid for them.
It is a simple statement that fasting is more than physical endurance. It is spiritual mainly. It is for this reason that those abstaining are advised to spend most of their time in reflecting on the message of the Quran. 
It is a ritual on the part of Muslims to finish reading or listening to the entire Quran during this month regardless of their level of understanding.  Sometimes, even those who recite the Quran in their melodious voice do not understand what they are reciting. The guidance comes when we know what the guidance is and what it is all about. So we need to focus on the process of understanding the Quran in whatever language we speak or understand in addition to our readings in the Arabic language.
If we find an improvement in our behavior and attitude towards ourselves and others, and if we find ourselves a better person, the purpose of this training would be served and the reward for this would be immense in this life and the life hereafter. Otherwise, it would be just a ritual and rituals often do not produce desired results.

Moon  Fighting

We argue on almost every issue and never feel shy of giving our expert decisive opinions on each of them believing that we are the ones who have mastered wisdom, knowledge, and blessings. One issue that we have never felt tired of talking is.moon sighting, especially, at the time of the beginning of the ninth and tenth month of the lunar calendar. Ramadan and Shawwal are the two specific months where the intensity of arguments soars high and tempers at times become out of control. Let us look at some issues before we actually indulge in any discussion on moon sighting. 

We believe the following based on the empirical studies that we have undertaken during the last few centuries. We have not challenged them and we have allowed our children to study them without any apprehensions. 
We did not have access to this information a few hundred years ago. For instance, we believed for almost 7000 years that earth was flat. But now we do not accept that idea. Because we have seen things differently. We have actually seen the visuals of the earth that do not appear to be flat.  If anyone makes that claim, we would probably laugh at him or her.

The Sun

So we believe that the sun is at a distance of 30,000 light-years from the earth,. We believe that it orbits around the center of the Milky Way once every 225 million years. We call that period of time a cosmic year. We believe that in its 5 billion years of existence the Sun has orbited the galaxy, more than 20 times. It is the most important source of energy for life on earth. We believe that it has a mass about 330,000 times that of Earth. Now in its nearly five billion histories, it has never changed the course it set itself on. 

The Earth

We know that the Earth is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to accommodate life.  We believe that Earth was formed about 4.54 billion years ago.   
We believe that Earth interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon. During one orbit around the Sun, Earth rotates about its own axis 366.26 times, creating 365.24 solar days. Never once, the earth increased or decreased its number of days.

The Moon

We believe that the Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It began orbiting Earth about 4.53 billion years ago. The Moon makes a complete orbit around Earth with respect to the fixed stars about once every 27.3 days. However, because Earth is moving in its orbit around the Sun at the same time, it takes slightly longer for the Moon to show the same phase to Earth, which is about 29.5 days. Never for a day did the moon changed its course it set itself on.  

Moon Phases

We believe that the new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and the sun. At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in alignment, just as the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite side of the earth, so the entire sunlit part of the moon is facing us. The shadowed portion is entirely hidden from view.
The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half-moon", happen when the moon is at a 90-degree angle with respect to the earth and sun. So we are seeing exactly half of the moon illuminated and half in shadow.
An easy way to remember and understand those "between" lunar phase names is by breaking out and defining 4 words: crescent, gibbous, waxing, and waning. The word crescent refers to the phases where the moon is less than half illuminated. The word gibbous refers to phases where the moon is more than half illuminated. Waxing essentially means "growing" or expanding in illumination, and waning means "shrinking" or decreasing in illumination.
After the new moon, the sunlit portion is increasing, but less than half, so it is waxing crescent. After the first quarter, the sunlit portion is still increasing, but now it is more than half, so it is waxing gibbous. After the full moon (maximum illumination), the light continually decreases. So the waning gibbous phase occurs next. Following the third quarter is the waning crescent, which wanes until the light is completely gone -- a new moon.
Moon has never changed these phases in its history of existence.

Conclusion

We did not create or invent these cycles or phases. Our belief is that God created them. We discovered them and we might not have discovered all that exists. We through empirical research have understood the sun, the earth and the moon and their phases to the best of our knowledge that we have it presently as created by the Master of the Universe. We have discovered when does the sunset and when does it rise, when does the moon become sightable and when it does not and where does it become sightable and where it does not. We can say without any doubt that Monday comes after Sunday. Similarly, we can say without any doubt that on such and such day the moon will become sight able in such and such region at such and such time depending that atmosphere is clear. Even if the atmosphere is not clear, the divine law of the phase of the moon will still work. Our sight ability or lack of sigh ability will not change the situation of the moon. When we have discovered with such precision all this about moon, earth, and sun, what prevents us from accepting these divinely dictated laws as we know them now? Why do we insist that we would not accept them because of whatever reason? The purpose of the divine guidance was to help us not only discover the truth but to accept it also.
We do it to show our ignorance and arrogance.
Our fight is not about the birth or the waxing or waning of new moon or the accuracy and the precision that Allah has placed in his universe, it is about our egos and ignorance and the ones who are responsible for this are none other than those who call them religious scholars, or clerics or clergy or leaders. It is not about how to enhance our understanding of the universe and use that empirical data to improve the quality of life, it is about how to contain the knowledge and limit it to the past. It is not about serving God, it is about serving ourselves and our myopic vision of Islam. Let us be clear about the nature of the fight. It is not about Islam or following the faith accurately. It is all about following a path that is built on our egos.