I wanted to know more about Islam

Salam/Peace,

Welcome dianegreen, hope you enjoy your stay. Yes you can read Quran, Quran for everybody not just for Muslims, so you have it, read it etc. Regarding Arabic alphabets, there are many on-line resources to learn about it.

Salam/Peace,

Semar

"We are people who do not eat until we are hungry and do not eat to our fill." (Prophet Muhammad PBUH)

"1/3 of your stomach for food, 1/3 for water, 1/3 for air"

Hi Diane!

Ofcourse you can read the Quran! It was meant for all of us, including you :).

I think you will find it easier with English Translation first - before you start off with alphabets. Happy Reading! & feel free to discuss points of interest or confusion that you come across!

"O Lord, forgive me, my parents and Muslims in the Hereafter. O Lord, show mercy on them as they showed mercy to me when I was young."

Salam/Peace,

I think you can get free English Quran here http://www.islamicity.com/freeliterature/

Or you can buy it form Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=english+quran

Salam/Peace,

Semar

"We are people who do not eat until we are hungry and do not eat to our fill." (Prophet Muhammad PBUH)

"1/3 of your stomach for food, 1/3 for water, 1/3 for air"

Wa Alaikom Isalam

Hope you're doing fine. To answer your first question,

"how do you know when you're ready to become a Muslim?"

The answer is simple, yet requires that you follow it with a lot of heart.

Meaning, when you know that Islam is the truth the right path, you are ready to become a Muslim.

"But I'm not ready, there's so much more I can learn!' One might think.

But the truth is you can learn while being a Muslim. Why waste one more day if in fact you know that this is the true path. One more day when our lives are over and we pass on to the hereafter could make a huge difference and propell us even higher into heaven.

You just reminded me of something Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazzali wrote, let me quote:

"Whoever supposes that faith is realized through speculative theology, abstract proofs, or academic divisions is an innovator. On the contrary, faith is a light that God, the Sublime and Exalted, casts into the hearts of His servants with bounty and grace from His presence. Sometimes faith is evidenced internally and is impossible to express; sometimes, through a vision while asleep; other times, by witnessing the state of a pious man and recieving the emanation of his light as a result of his companionship and presence; and then there are times when faith comes by the concurrence of circumstance. Indeed, a Bedouin came to the Prophet denying and disavowing him. But when his eyes fell upon his radiant aspect - he saw in it the light of prophethood and exclaimed,

"By God! This is not the face of a liar!" He then implored the Prophet to explain Islam to him and immediately embraced it."

After reading this you may have smiled, as I did when I first read it. But there probably is a part of you that is scared of making mistakes as a new Muslim! "But I may make mistakes! God won't get mad at me? There's still a lot more I have to learn!" Is what one would normally think. But I ask you, aren't those who make mistakes all for the sake of trying to come closer to God better than those who don't make any mistakes at all while turning away from God? So don't be afraid, and think positively. Think of how much benefits you will get the sooner you become a Muslim the sooner all your previous sins in life are erased completely. Every single one of them. It's like you're a newly born baby. Clean slate.

In a hadith the prophet that he who takes one step towards God, God will take 99 steps towards him. So take the step with love. And ask God to continue guiding you on your journey and enriching you with knowledge and guidance.

"But, what if people question me, and I don't know the answers!"

Something that is eternally beneficial is reading up on the Sahaba , the prophet's companions, and how they embrased Islam and what they did when they first did. Abu Bakr, the prophet's best friend and closest companion, a mere week or two since becoming a Muslim had already converted about ten people into Islam! And many of them were of those who achieved great deeds in Islam and went on to become great Islamic figures. Abu Bakr gets credit to that and hasanat (good deeds) counted , since in Islam he who shows someone how to do something good, gets credit for it as well. For example if you teach someone who to pray, everytime they pray you also get credit for it as if you prayed. So imagine this is Abu Bakr and he's just recently embrassed Islam and his knowledge was far more limited than yours since he didn't have an internet to use and google answers to questions. But what he had, was an unrellenting passion for right. He was in love with that which is right. And once he knew that Islam was the right path, he commited to it. And went around telling everyone who would listen about it. And if they posed a question he didn't know the answer to, he would go the prophet pbuh and enquire!

So, in conclusion, don't be afraid of making mistakes. Know that God is considerate, and understanding, and will pardon any mistakes you make as long as your intention is to come closer to Him. "Religion is leaniency, not hardness," said the Prophet pbuh.

Read up on biographies of the prophet's companions, and you will be motivated, as they were in similar situations you were in. I mean Muslims in Mecca were persecuted for their belief in Allah and beaten and even not allowed to purchase food so they would starve to death. But they still maintained their firm belief in that which is right. You and I, we live in luxury compared to them. We only hope we could be as inclined towards truth as them and hopefully God will guide and motivate us.

Allah be with you. I wish you the best!