Day 6
Holiness means being set apart. The Qur’an is holy, because it is the only Holy Book (i.e., direct speech of Allah delivered to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, through the angel Gabriel on behalf Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala) preserved in its original form in Arabic that has been memorized in its entirety by many believers across the world. Some scholars disagree with its miraculous preservation, and they disparage Islam. We cannot take that word lightly: holy.
In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, believers enter the church only after removing their shoes, because they follow the admonition (to take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground) that God gave to Moses at the Burning Bush, for, like Moses, the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians believe they are standing on holy ground (Exodus 3:5).
We approach holy books, people, and places with reverence or the respect that is due. You want to be treated with respect, so you respect others. As a woman, I see my gender denigrated. I want nothing more than to be honored and valued. The people who represent us in the media often do us a disservice. They desecrate the image of a woman by parading around naked and provoking people to treat them as sex objects. I am tired of our misrepresentation. Modesty is a way of life.
Where are our ideals? To be set apart means that you serve a purpose, not that you are utterly useless. I mourn for the collective loss of innocence of the rising, new generations. People build their fame on the false hope of vanity. They behave shamelessly with nudity. They are naked and unashamed, and the internet is their Garden of Eden. I wish I could communicate to the leaders of the day that holiness takes work. It means believing in the unseen. So, you reserve a treasure for yourself in Jannah (Paradise).
What people won’t do for an audience! It’s okay to be modest. Make a modest impact. Wear modest clothes. Earn a modest income. Are you single, sleeping alone in your own bed (with a river of tears or not)? Don’t be sullen. Thank God! You’re not advertising to everyone on planet earth what you look like in underwear or worse yet, in the bathtub. Do people exist outside of the online world? What happened to privacy?
Some people have been harmed in the past (i.e., sexual abuse), so they act out and engage in risky behavior, not realizing what they’re doing. God forbid! Pray for people who repeat their trauma openly, publicly. Some people are deluded by rape culture and the Madonna complex (viz., virgin-whore). Why are you vying for the title of Most Beautiful Woman in the world? You don’t have to compete for superficial recognition. Do what benefits people and strengthens communities. Women are sacred. I am not a man, so I don’t know what it’s like to guard my chastity as a man, but I imagine some of the tension is similar. Stay pure, sons and daughters! This dunya is not worth your soul.
Stay true to yourself (Shakespeare).
Homework:
What communities do you belong to? What identities are you attached to? What are you rebelling against?
Who and what do you consider to be holy? Why?
Take a picture of yourself with your clothes on (Imagine that!) What do your clothes symbolize?
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