|
South Africa as the
host country for Cricket World Cup 2003, is the focus of world
attention. Millions of people across teh world have readjusted
their daily schedules in order to accommodate the daily fixtures.
The cricket craze has also bowled over the local Muslim
communities who exchange the latest cricket scores even as they
enter the house of Allah (SWT). Has professional sport become
the "opium of the masses"? Have the sport stadiums become the new
shrines of our culture? Are the coaches and commentators the new
priests who offer their wisdom and advice? Are television the new
pulpits from which the message is spread?
Are we enchanted and
bewitched by 'sport' even though it has become synonymous with
violence, drugs, fornication, gambling and match fixing! Do we
adore sport heroes even though they are disconnected from
the real world, from real jobs, and real lives?
Do we now judge the worth of individuals solely by how they
perform on the field, instead of looking at their characters,
values and beleifs?
Muhammad (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam)
has said, "Any (sport) without the remembrance of Allah (SWT) is
either a diversion or heedlessness except four:
Islam advocates sports only to the
extent that it fulfils the following objectives:
-
Development of necessary
life-skills.
-
A means of engendering love within
members of the family
-
A means of refreshing the mind
-
A means of developing robust
physique
The Noble Qur'aan states, "Know that
life of this world is but play and amusement. a beautiful show,
the course of boastful vying with one another and greed for more
riches and children..."
Professional sports
viewed against the background of this verse is more than play that
is delusive, amusement that causes an individual to be heedless, a
beautiful show from the outside, but manipulative, evil and rotten
from the inside. A course of boastful vying the bloats the ego and
pollutes the mind, it thrives on the lower impulse of greed,
wealth and fame. It essentially casts a spell that detaches the
'spectator' from realities of life, from the values of time and
productivity, and aspires to superimpose a heedless, aimless and
erratic frame of mind.
As Muslims, we need
to break lose from the lure of entertainment that breeds laziness
and indifference to our primary purpose in life, we need to guard
against spending endless hours 'watching' that which causes
blindness of the heart.
Article taken (with Thanks) from JamiatKZN |
