The
Open
Road

Well, here we are again back at a Thruway for the Open Road,

but this time we have landed at Level 4

You see a lot of people like to learn things for a while,

and then get fed up and bored

and say

"I know enough now. I don't need to learn any more."

And that's true for a lot of things that are not really important to our lives.

Unlike the Deen,

which is not just important to our lives.

but is really the most important thing in our lives,

and we can never know enough about it.

And the reason that it is the most important thing in our lives

is because it is about everything in our lives.

It is our Way of Life, the way that we do everything that we do.

So if you are bored with learning about the Deen,

you are bored with life itself.

Our Deen is what gives meaning and purpose

to everything that we do in our lives.

The Deen is what prevents our lives from becoming boring.

Whatever we choose to do, the Deen is what makes us go about it in the right way

not just for us but for those around us.

And if there is no right way to go about it

while still following our Deen,

then it is something to choose not to do,

something to be avoided.

To follow the muslim Way of Life we need to know what is good and what is bad,

for us and everyone else,

and that means always learning.

Because as we grow,

our lives get more and more complicated,

and the decisions we have to make get harder.

A teenager's life is more complicated than a toddler's,

and an adult's life is usually more complicated than that of a child.

So on the path to adulthood,

and from there to old age,

knowing our Deen helps us to make the right decisions,

and makes our lives easier and more satisfying.

Our religion isn't there to make us miserable,

to put us in a cage in which we can't do anything.

Our Deen is to help us enjoy our lives together

as we travel the Straight Path,

remembering that Muhammad was

the most laughing and smiling of men,

and to guide us towards

the everlasting happiness of the life to come.

That's not a bad subject to keep learning about.

Do we need to stand up for ourselves?

What does it mean to be brave?

Is Pride the same as Conceit?

Must we keep promises?

Is a sense of humour a good or bad thing?

What about drinking and gambling?

How can Islam affect politics and economics?

How do we expand the Qur'an and Hadith into Shari'ah?