Habits are Hard to Break

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

I absolutely love "The Boondocks". For those who have never heard of it, it's a show based off of a comic strip by Aaron McGruder about two young black boys, Huey and Riley Freeman, living with their grandfather in a predominantly white suburb. Huey is a genius ten year-old and a staunch supporter of radical black nationalism and socialism. His eight year-old brother Riley, on the other hand, is a wannabe gangster who idolizes rappers and the ghetto culture. The show contains a lot of insight into politics, sociology, and African American culture. Currently, the show is in its third and final season on Adult Swim (the adult version of Cartoon Network). I've always loved the show, but this summer I've grown especially fond of it. I've been watching the old episodes, waiting anxiously for the new ones, reading posts on Boondocks forums, and even reading fanfiction and looking at fan art.

Today, I was thinking about how excited I was for the new episode to come on this evening. Then, all of a sudden, I realized just how much I had become preoccupied with this show. It was taking up a lot of my time during the day, and even at night before going to sleep I would think about it. As Muslims, we are taught that our time on this Earth is very limited and precious, and it is up to us to make the best use of it. There is a hadith where Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "A servant of ALLAH will remain standing on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about four things: his life and how he spent it, his youth and how he used it up, his property and how he acquired and managed it and his knowledge and how he utilized it.”

There is obviously nothing wrong with having fun and leisure time in Islam, but it is important that the fun is halal (no gambling, drinking, pleasure at the expense of others, etc.) and for a purpose, namely to reenergize ourselves, or to exercise our bodies and minds. There has been some benefits to me watching "The Boondocks", in that it is a source of entertainment for me and has gotten me very interested in studies of African Americans and the African diaspora (I am actually seriously considering doing a minor in Africana Studies because of my exposure to the knowledge and commentary on "The Boondocks"). However, "The Boondocks", despite it being thought-provoking, has its share of not-so-halal things, namely nudity (male and female), A LOT of swearing, and occasional disrespectful things said about ALLAH and Prophet Isa (as), Astaghfirullah. And what I have been doing is definitely not in moderation; rather, it's become an idle pastime with no real benefit.

After realizing this, I decided that I need to make a change. I will continue watching "The Boondocks", but not excessively (like only if there's a new episode or if I really, really want to watch it). I will close my eyes or change the channel during the "nude" parts and the parts about ALLAH and Isa (as). I will not browse the fan art and fan fiction galleries (I find them to be a real time waster). Basically, I can still enjoy it, but I need to make sure that it's done the right way and never in favor of more beneficial, constructive activities. It's going to be hard, and tempting to fall back into what I've been doing, but since I am doing this for the sake of ALLAH, Insha'Allah it will not be too difficult.

Giving up things for the sake of ALLAH is not easy. It's very hard to break old habits, and it may even seem that you're not getting anything out of it but suffering and annoyance. Yet ALLAH is the Most Merciful; when He sees that we're doing something for His sake, even if it's very difficult or unpleasant, Insha'Allah He will be pleased with us and compensate us with something even better than what we're giving up. Alhamdulillah, nothing we do goes unnoticed, and whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it!

This is a very broad topic that I have a lot more to say about, so Insha'Allah I will write about this again.