Doing good for the wrong reasons

Assalamualaikum,

You know the saying "The end doesn't justify the means"? Or in Malay its "Niat tak menghalalkan cara". Basically they mean that we can't do the wrong things for the right reasons, for example robbing a bank to buy food for your family. Some people forget that the reverse holds true too. We shouldn't do the right thing for the wrong reasons. In this case, many people seem to look the other way. Let me give a few examples.

In Malaysia, the traditional tudung has received a serious fashion makeover. All different kinds of fashions and styles are out now. Not all of them keeping true to the original purpose of the tudung mind you, which is to cover your aurat and guard your modesty. So we are faced with a society which has transformed the concept of the tudung, and turned it into yet another accessory for women to flaunt in public. Don't get me wrong, its perfectly fine for women to want to dress nicely and to want to be fashionable. But when a woman wears a tudung because it is "fashionable", or because she wants to keep up with the latest trend, isn't the niat of wearing the tudung lost? Its supposed to be a symbol of modesty, not a sign of fashion or status. Wearing a tudung is necessary to cover your aurat, but if you put fashion ahead of function, you need to think twice about why you wear it.

Another example is entertainment. I'm all for entertainment. I regularly watch movies and TV shows, I listen to music, I play video games. There are some forms of entertainment which are acceptable and others which aren't. K-Pop for some reason is really hot among the females of our generation. Now I don't have anything against them, but like my friend rightly pointed out a while ago, girls can go crazy over these pretty boys. Its fine if you enjoy their music, but if you go crazy over them because they are so cute and adorable, how is that different from guys who enjoy watching Britney Spears' music videos? Guys are supposed to lower their gaze yes? Aren't girls supposed to do the same?

Fasting is another issue. Everyone of us should fast in Ramadhan no question. As for outside of Ramadhan there are many optional fasts. Now when we fast sincerely there's no problem. But when people fast as a means of losing weight, or to save money, that's a problem. Fasting is a spiritual exercise with added worldly benefits. We fast sincerely, we get both spiritual and worldly benefits. But fast solely for the worldly benefits, and that's probably all we get.

So remember, that saying I mentioned earlier is like a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways. 

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