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Considering reverting to Islam |
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Darth Ultor 
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Male Joined: 26 April 2010 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 12 |
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 Topic: Considering reverting to IslamPosted: 27 April 2010 at 5:53am |
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The basic concept of Islam seems like the right way,, what with emphasis on trust, belief, and strengthening you relationship with God, peace between other faiths, strong sense of family, hard work, prayer, charity, and using violence only as a last resort. Islam also brought medical advancements to Europe, sciences, and mathematics. But there are several things holding me back. For one thing, the prophets. I'm sure that they were righteous people, even if some of them did do questionable acts. However, from what someone on the phone told me, without accepting the prophets as examples, you cannot be a Muslim. I always learned that Allah gives you free will and judges you in the hereafter based on your actions. "La ilahah illa Allah" I have already accepted but "Muhammad rasul Allah" is holding me back. Another is the idea of not dating women. Marriage isn't like choosing insurance, if I want to find someone to share my life and grow old with, I'd want her to be the right one. I don't see any real harm in dating, fornication maybe, but not dating. There are also other little things that some say are haram such as music. Lastly, the way that some Muslims act really turn me off just as much as the Christian elitists and certain groups of Haredi Jews. I'm not talking about al-Qaeda or Hamas, but certain regular people in general. They exclude and even abhor people of other faiths, politicize Islam, and get angry over the slightest of things.
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islamispeace
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Joined: 01 November 2005 Status: Offline Points: 2187 |
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Posted: 27 April 2010 at 3:40pm |
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Hi Darth,
I am glad to hear that you are considering reverting to Islam. It is a difficult decision, and one that will completely change your life. So, it should not be made lightly. I know someone who studied for several years before he finally decided that Islam was for him and he is as far as I know completely happy with the decision. To answer your questions, believing in all the prophets is a requirement of faith. The reason for that is simply that it was Allah who chose them, so to reject them would be to reject Allah's will, which is the same as rejecting Allah. For sure, many of the things the prophets did are not "acceptable" in the modern world, but that does not mean they are not to be taken as examples. They most certainly should be. For instance, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a devoted husband, father and leader. That would be something for us to emulate. He never hurt his wives, his children or any other people, even though they may have hurt him. Take for example the incident at Taif. He was stoned by the children to the point that he was swollen and bleeding for head to toe. When Taif was conquered by his followers years later, did he take revenge? No. Did he take revenge when he conquered Mecca? No. That is a magnanimous attitude that we should emulate. Concerning dating, the reason that it is generally frowned upon is that it often times leads to fornication. That is the problem. If you like a girl, perhaps bringing your family along would be better than just "going out" yourself. Of course, in that sense, it is not really a date. Concerning music, the general understanding is that it is haram. However, the Hadiths do elucidate that the duff (a drumlike instrument) is halal while all other instruments are not. So actually, Islam has its own musical style. It does, however, frown upon other forms of music, especially the western style, which seems to be overrun with talk of drug use, fornication, objectifying women (just watch any rap video), and other vices. Concerning the way some Muslims act, well that's something that will always be a problem. Individuals will act in a certain way. That does not mean they speak for Islam. If their actions clearly violate the Quran and Sunnah, than obviously their behavior is not Islamic. We should not judge the religion by the actions of individuals. |
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Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds. (Surat al-Anaam: 162)
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Ukhti S.
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Female Joined: 25 April 2010 Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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Posted: 29 April 2010 at 11:10pm |
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I will greet you with the greeting of Islam;
As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you)! All Praise is due to Allah (Glorious and Exalted He is), the Owner of All Heavens and Earth and what's between them, the Creator of all creation and the King of kings, Blessings and peace be upon His messenger and all prophets and apostles, Ameen!
If we study the Noble Qur'an, we can find answers to everything, and be guided to the right path. Allah (Glorious and Exalted Allah is) Tells us in the Noble Qur'an; So, who is a true believer? The answer is very clear from the noble verse above. All Praise is due to Allah (Glorious and Exalted He is) who Has given us a Guide and if it weren't for Him, we wouldn't have been guided. When someone testifies and makes a confession from its heart; "O' Allah! I testify that Muhammad (Allah's Praise and Peace be upon him) is Your Messenger." That means that none has the right to be followed after Allah (Glorious and Exalted Allah is) but the Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Praise and Peace be upon him), as he is the last Messenger of Allah's (Glorious and Exalted Allah is) Messengers. Allah (Glorious and Exalted He is) Tells us in the Noble Qur'an; Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Praise and Peace be upon him) said he was given 5 things which none of the Prophets were given before and one of them is that every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only, but he has been sent to all mankind. [Sahih Al Bukhari] When also making the confession of a Muslim (the Shahadah), it is essential for the person to believe in all the Messengers of Allah and not to differentiate between them. As far as marriage, it is a religious duty upon all Muslims and it is consequently a moral safeguard as well as a social neccessity. There is no such thing as "getting to know each other" in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Praise and Peace be upon him) said that whenever a man is alone with a woman, they Satan is the third one among them. When a man and a woman is being alone together, temptations for one and another grow toward wrongdoing. So, at all times a Muslim should follow the Commands of Allah (Glorious and Exalted Allah is) that Muslims should "lower their gaze and protect their modesty" [The Qur'an; Chapter 24 (An Nur - the Light) : Verse 30-31]. This rule provides safeguard for our own sake, since humanbeings are weak. If a person is interested in someone, then the man should contact the girl's father (or brother if the father is unable to attend). Discussion about marriage and family participation (mother and father) should take role during decision. Family involvement in the choice of partner hels to assure that the choice is based on compatibility and not only love. And marriages with parents involvement are surely successful in the long-term. Do you know what is the most beautiful and peaceful and great "music" is to listen to? Music which you are talking about is unweakening and making the heart of a man hard, but the Words of Allah (Glorious and Exalted Allah is) makes it soft. Try it out, and you'll love it. Allah (Glorious and Exalted He is) Says in the Noble Qur'an; Satan said: "See this one whom You have honoured above me, if You give me respite (keep me alive) to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring (by sending them astray) all but a few!"
Allah said: "Go, and whosoever of them follows you, surely Hell will be the recompense of you (all) - an ample recompense. And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allah's disobedience), make assaults on them with your cavalry and your infantry, share with them wealth and children (by tempting them to earn money by illegal ways - ursury, or by comitting illegal sexual intercourse), and make promises to them." But Satan promises them nothing but deceit." [The Qur'an; Chapter 17 (Al Isra' - The Journey by Night) : Verse 62-64]
From the verse above we can clearly understand that music is Satans'. But as the member of this forum ("Islamispeace") who posted before me said is true that the drumlike instrument is allowed in Islam, but any other instruments are not allowed. Music like Hard Rock or Metal or HipHop etc are way prohibited. And the right picture of Islam is conveyed in the Qur'an which is exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Praise and Blessings be upon him). The reality is that it is not fair to judge a religion by the actions of its followers alone, because there are good and bad followers in every religion. The correct thing to do is to judge a religion by its documented revelation from God and the Prophet who brought that revelation.
Good to hear from you and great that you ask questions!
I want to tell you also that I am not any scholar, so it is only Allah (Glorious and Exalted He is) who knows if I have answered you appropriately or not.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Take Care and May Allah (Glorious and Exalted Allah is) Bless you!
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What ever Good I have said is from Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'alaa - Glorious and Exalted Allah is), but what ever bad and wrong I have said is from myself and my misdeeds. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'alaa) forgive our sins and misdeeds and make us enabled to do more good deeds so we can please Him more, Ameen!
Remember also, Amr Bil Ma'ruf Wa Nahi Anil Munkar! (Command the right and forbid the evil!) - So, dear sisters and brothers in Islam, whatever wrong I have said correct me and InshaAllah, Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'alaa), will reward you with the greatest reward in this life and in the Hereafter! -----------------
Edited by Ukhti S. - 29 April 2010 at 11:29pm |
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xx__Ace__xx
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Joined: 01 June 2010 Status: Offline Points: 100 |
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Posted: 02 June 2010 at 1:40pm |
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"Muhammad rasul Allah" simply refers to believing in the Prophet SAW being the last messenger of Allah, and is definitely a must to accept for any muslim. I suspect you're being held back from believing in it due to a false impression of him being a supernatural being, or something along the likes. Which is the wrong idea if so's the case. Prophet SAW was just a human like any of us, yet special due to the fact that he was loved by the Almighty himself, due to the huge sacrifices he had to make, solely for the cause of the muslim generation, and none for the sake of personal interest. Ofcourse, that doesn't mean the other Prophets were any inferior, and we definitely respect and accept them all equally. What Islam teaches us is to follow the Prophet, and try to achieve all the great qualities he possessed (Sunnah), and that's the simple idea.
Questionable acts hmmm... I'd suggest you ask of those here, whatever you have at the back of your mind, and we'd love to clarify them out, until you're personally satisfied. As for dating, as already mentioned, its forbidden. And rightly so since it without a doubt leads to wrongdoings. I'm predicting you'll be thinking we all have a right to know and see the spouse to be, and that's definitely true. Hence we're granted permission to get to know and see him/her before the marriage, infact its a Sunnah, encouraged by the Prophet. However, you must have a third party as mentioned above, while you do so. |
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fatima
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Joined: 04 August 2005 Status: Offline Points: 979 |
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Posted: 07 June 2010 at 9:42am |
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Bismillah irrahman irrahim
Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahe wabarakatuhu
I think most of your questions are answered alhamdulillah but if you dont mind me asking what have you heard about Prophets Alhimussalam that hinders your way. There are many misconceptions and Allah subhanahu wata'ala willing i will try to bring the truth.
Wasslam
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Say: (O Muhammad) If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your faults, and Allah is Forgiving, MercifuL
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Hayfa
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Female Joined: 07 June 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2368 |
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Posted: 07 June 2010 at 10:36am |
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Asalaam Alaikum
Darth you wrote: "Another is the idea of not dating women. Marriage isn't like choosing insurance, if I want to find someone to share my life and grow old with, I'd want her to be the right one. I don't see any real harm in dating, fornication maybe, but not dating." I think that you can look at it also that there is NOTHING wrong with getting to know a person in the company of others. Especially we reverts, we don't have Muslim families to help us out, to investigate etc. We aren't in small communities that everyone knows everyone else. You can spend time with the woman, but not alone. She will often have a Wali or family present. You should absolutely ask many questions (Muslim women have made lists of 100s of questions to ask...lol) You just cannot "date" as we consider in the western sense. A marriage is a contract. You have to negotiate. And the only way to work it out is to have discussions. There is no where that says you cannot speak to any woman. It just has to be in the correct format. They exclude and even abhor people of other faiths, politicize Islam, and get angry over the slightest of things. I can honestly sat that I understand what you wrote. I think many reverts do. I can say that its not about other people its about your relationship with your God- Your Creator. Muslims are not perfect people. They face and are challenged by diseases of the heart. They can lack humility, piety, gratitude. They can be greedy, arrogant etc. That is why there is the Holy Quran and the Hadiths. Why there are books written about the diseases of the heart. . Because we are not perfect. "La ilahah illa Allah" I have already accepted but "Muhammad rasul Allah" is holding me back. I too can relate to this. If you are a nonMuslim becoming a Muslim the "love" and belief one should have for the Prophet (SAWS) can be difficult. If someone is raised in Islam you hear stories, raised on Hadiths, so the "belief" and "love" was part of the fabric of your life. Not living that it can be daunting to "connect" with. Being raised Christian, I grew up with stories of Jesus (SAWS), about his life and his actions. So there is a natural inclination of affection. Its thus, like they are "family" When I did my Shahada I remember beforehand thinking of this issue. And for me, at the time I remember that there have been over 10,000 Prophets sent to different lands to teach the Oneness of Allah. Some we know, most we do not. Made sense to me. So the Prophet Mohammed (SAWS) is the last, the Seal of the Prophets.) Just a simple acceptance. It helped that I read alot about his (SAWS) life and, at least on one level, could see how incredible he was/is. And Darth, not everything needs to be done at once. My recommendation is to reflect upon your life, your Creator. What do you want that relationship to be. It was after becoming a Muslim, I was sort of adrift. I read a book called Purification of the Heart: translated by Hamza Yusuf and it altered my perception about Islam, just enough, to realize that I was where I should be. Islam is all about your heart, having a sound heart, loving Allah and living, to the best of one's ability, how Allah wants us to be. How do we act, behave, how we show gratitude to Allah, how are we obedient. How we are to "be" in this world. May Allah have mercy on all of us Hayfa Edited by Hayfa - 07 June 2010 at 10:37am |
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When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi
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honeto
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Male Islam Joined: 20 March 2008 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 2487 |
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Posted: 09 June 2010 at 5:06pm |
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Darth,
Salam. -About dating and marriage, we all have cultural opinions sometimes stronger, even among the Muslims. Islam does not allow forced or blind arranged marriages even though it frequently happens in many cultures within the Islam world. If we look at pure Islamic teaching, it does allow one to choose their life partner for certain qualities that help one to make this life beautiful, and in process work toward pleasure of Allah, and toward a desirable hereafter. Certainly, western style dating is a failure in two ways, first we know it still dos not work, look at the rate of separation and divorce. Second, it leads a person into immorality, as couples sometimes engage in activity only reserved for couple bound in marriage. Remember, rules are made standard for all only because our maker knows us more than we know ourself, even though some of us may be very strong, or strong enough to not to fall in illegal sexual activity even if invited into it. As far as your reluctance to declare the second part of the Shahada, I will say this: If the message appeals to your heart and mind, it is only a matter of understanding that the one through whom that message arrived to you you cannot recognize? To me that is almost contradictory, how can I like the teachings, but refuse to recognize who brought them to me? Remember, the message represents the messenger. If you like the message and want to follow it, understand this that the Prophet (pbuh) was not just the a person through whom that message came that you like, but also he was the best example of that message in practice. We have a lot of negativity spread around about the life of the prophet, for one purpose, to keep people away from Islam. And I understand that it can built this negative image of him. But once we discover the beauty of the message, and think of its source and through whom it get to us, it is easy to correct that understanding of the Prophet (pbuh) for what he really was. I hope and pray that may Allah help you and help us all in our struggle to reach the final goal successfully, which is to face accountability by our Creator, who knows All, and is Forgiving and Merciful to those who obey Him. Hasan |
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The friends of God will certainly have nothing to fear, nor will they be grieved. Al Quran 10:62
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