Uncles, Molvis and Bad Jokes.

There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a few days so I thought I’d tell you guys about it, one, because I could use some advice/feedback, and two, because blogging my thoughts and frustrations is so therapeutic.

If this post offends anyone, tell me and I’ll delete it.

I was sitting with some uncles the other day. For some reason, I’ve noticed no matter what uncles talk about, it always leads back to two unending topics: religion and politics.  And it almost always gets heated.

So one of the uncles told a joke. 

I won’t bother telling it, it was way inappropriate, but the “point” of the joke was basically to say that there will be no ”molvis” in heaven. People laughed, and then added things. “Most bearded men are going to be in Hell.” One of the uncles then said, “We’re ordinary people. We’ll be judged in one way. But those people have a whole different responsibility. And anyway, Allah swt is Most Merciful, those religious people just try and scare you. Allah isn’t so strict.

Aaaahhh!!!!

Oh yeah, then it got even worse.  They started talking about a specific ‘aalim. 

I didn’t know what to do…what to say..how to react, but they weren’t really paying attention to me, so I went with it, and pretended I wasn’t listening to anything they were saying, like I was really tired and out of it.

The ‘aalim they were talking about, I’ll admit, is someone I myself sometimes wonder about. {he makes a lot of “interesting” statements}  But to backbite anyone like that, especially a person of ‘ilm is scary.

I feel guilty. I probably should have said something, I just didn’t know what, because they were so much older. And after the molvi/beards comment, my blood was starting to heat up. I knew if I opened my mouth at that moment, I probably wouldn’t be the best representative. I’d be proving their point.

I thought about something Hasan al Basri said,

“The righteous salaf were as fearful of their good deeds being squandered, or
not being accepted, as the present generation is certain that their neglect
would be forgiven.”

SubhanAllah.

So anyway. I still haven’t said a word about it.  I see those uncles often and would love to talk to them privately, if only I knew what to say, if I should even say anything.

Help?

JazakAllahu khairan in advance

(p.s.: Guess what I found?! That’s right! More recitation by Imam Murtada Bakour   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz6MwXUJqLc      Enjoy! )