OMG...

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

Reflection

The Declining Day (Al-'Asr)
1. By the declining day,
2. Lo! Man is in a state of loss,
3. Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort 
one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.
***

I was very very disturbed and worried when at certain times I heard my two daughters exclaimed 'OMG' (oh my God) in their conversations. 

In my opinion, we should not copy 'other people's' way of life; isn't Islam our complete way of life? By the way, my opinion is not important, I have to seek answers from knowledgeable people and authorized sources.

First, what's the meaning of OMG. Urbandictionary defines it as a exclamation of shock or surprise, often used repeatedly by stupid people who are shocked and surprised by almost everything and insert it into conversations whenever possible. It gave this example: "Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt!"

Oxford Living Dictionaries defines OMG as an exclamation (informal) used to express surprise, excitement, disbelief, etc. Among examples given were: "OMG, we finally did it!" and "OMG, that was fun."

It was stated that its origin was in early 20th century: from the initial letters of oh my God! (the final elements may sometimes represent goodness, gosh, etc.).

To know whether we (Muslims) are allowed to utter OMG in our daily lives especially during conversations, a few days ago I asked an 'ustaz' after his weekly 'tazkirah' (lesson) at a 'masjid' near my house during which he mentioned about the importance of Muslim doing their 'zikr' (reciting words for the remembrance of Allah SWT).

He warned that Muslims without the 'zikir' would be like 'monyet' (monkeys), quoting a well known scholar. He also mentioned that the best 'zikr' is reading and understanding the Qur'an.

In his lesson the 'ustaz' mentioned about several quotations from the Qur'an and 'hadith' about the importance of 'zikr' - among others: "Only in the remembrance of Allah SWT will your heart find peace." (Quran 13: Verse 28)

Abu Hurairah r.a. (may Allah be please with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah SWT said, "The uttering of the words: "Subhan-Allah (Allah is free from imperfection), Al-hamdu lillah (all praise is due to Allah), La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah) and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)' is dearer to me than anything over which the sun rises." (Narated by Imam Muslim)

Abu Hurairah r.a. also reported: The Messenger of Allah SWT said, "There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: 'Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim (Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and) Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection)'." (Narated by Imam Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Regarding 'my OMG question', The 'ustaz' didn't answer it directly, but first talked about how far our young generation had distanced themselves from the teachings of the Prophet s.a.w. He gave an example of some of our youth sporting various types of hair styles such as the Mohawk or Mohican style while ladies wear tight fitting and hugging jeans or leotards with hanging T-shirts and blouses even some of them wear their 'tudungs'!

He said it is not proper for us to follow 'everything' from 'people outside the Islamic teachings' such as from the Westerners uttering OMG, but if a person does it fully aware that he/she was only praising Allah SWT, for example having in mind it means 'Ya Allah!', then it is allowed.

But if we recite OMG with the intention of copying the non-Muslims way of life, then we are in great trouble because to them God are interpreted differently from us that is Allah SWT. This could jeopardy our 'iman' (faith), said the 'ustaz'.

To them, God is different from what we understand. For example a popular rapper, Weng Meng Chee or Namewee not long time ago caused controversy over his video song 'Oh My God'. In his song he mentioned about Allah and the gods of other believers. He was charged with defiling a place of worship with intention to insult religion.

Regarding the 'OMG issue', a renowned Malaysian Muslim scholar not long time ago, when asked about the matter answered: "It is a duty of every Muslim to always have the remembrance of Allah SWT. In the Qur'an, Allah SWT says, "Only in the remembrance of Allah SWT will your heart find peace." 

"Therefore to lead a calm life, always wet your tongue reciting phrases of praises to Allah SWT. The 'kalimah' (word) God could not all all be translated to Allah. The word 'God' could be in singular or plural form and have sexes such as God and Goddess. But the 'kalimah' Allah has the meaning of 'tauhid' monotheism in it. We acknowledge Allah SWT's oneness...its 'mustahil' (impossible) to be two or three. 

So to Muslims please exclaim 'Ya Allah' because its meaning is different from 'Oh my God' (OMG). Ones reciting 'Ya Allah' would have Allah SWT's bounties and huge rewards in this world whats more in the Hereafter. So, recite 'Ya Allah'...is it too difficult to recite it compared to OMG?

YES just stick to 'Subhan-Allah' or 'Ya Allah' or 'Astaghfirullah' or 'Allahu Akbar' or the likes, crying it out loud depending on the situation. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and upon all his Family and Companions.

The best thing to do to obtain peace of heart and mind, happiness and tranquility is by the remembrance of Allah. Allah says: "Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (Qur'an 13:28)

On the contrary, if one does not remember Allah, then there will be no peace, tranquility or happiness of the heart. Allah says: "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship." (Qur'an 20:124)