Cousin's Wedding

Assalamualaikum,

Last weekend was spent at my direct cousin's wedding and sadly but true, I was totally bored and irritated for that entire weekend. Well..it's not because of the fact that I'm attending a wedding nor is it because of my relatives incessant questions about my end-of-year wedding that irked me. Rather, it's because of the cultural practices which I witnessed before me in silence that made me flabbergasted.

For one, I can never understand why certain hindu cultural practices exist in the Malay race, and yes, I am aware of the fact that in the past, the Malays were very much influenced by the hindu culture and hence, they adopted some practices. My question is, why in the world must Muslims imitate the non-believers' practices in any way?

Didn't Rasulullah s.a.w commanded us to be different from the non-believers in many hadiths?

The Messenger s.a.w said:

"Be different from the disbelievers." (Bukhari & Muslim)

"Whoever imitates a people is one of them." (recorded by Ahmad)

Traditional scholars have concluded that we cannot imitate the practices of the non-believers that contradict the teachings of Islam. Hence, certain rituals like sprinkling water at the newly-wed couple is clearly forbidden cause that is imitating the hindu practice.

In other hadiths, Rasulullah s.a.w said:

"Be different from the Jews and Christians." (Bukhari & Muslim)

"You will surely follow the ways of those nations who were before you, inch by inch,yard by yard, so much so that even if they enter a lizard’s hole, you will follow them.

The Companions then asked: "O Rasulullah! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He said,"Whom else?" (Bukhari & Muslim)

Sadly, in today's context, Muslims in general are following them into the 'lizard hole' by adopting their economy, ideologies, schools of thoughts, potical structure, culture, fashion, mannerism, lifestyle and although we still identify ourselves as Muslims just because we pray 5 times a day and fast in the month of Ramadhan, we are sadly still inside the lizard-hole. Trapped- now that includes me.

Hence, in silence, I swallowed my principle cause me holding on to this principle alone cannot free us from this entrapment. We need