Am i muslim?
Printed From: IslamiCity.org
Category: Religion - Islam
Forum Name: Islam for non-Muslims
Forum Description: Non-Muslims can ask questions about Islam, discussion for the purpose of learning.
URL: https://www.islamicity.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21496
Printed Date: 22 November 2024 at 9:45am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Am i muslim?
Posted By: jonlondon
Subject: Am i muslim?
Date Posted: 04 August 2011 at 4:49am
Hello, thank you for reading this and giving your time to help me.
I have recently started exploring islam for reasons that at first may appear unsuitable but please hear me out. I would like to know if I am suitable to call myself muslim.
My background is that I was brought up in a fairly strong Roman Catholic family. My mother and grandmother both practise the faith regularly, I was brought up to pray and to lead a good life. My father is agnostic, he beleives in right and wrong and has instilled strong morals in me, but he also beleives that religion is to a large extent man made. I beleive i have grown up to be a person of strong morals, true to myself and aware of what is right, but many religious debates have left me questioning christianity and content with my attempt to lead a life that i beleive to be good, without the need to actively worship what I understood God to be.
About a year ago, I met a muslim girl and we became close friends. Since meeting her I was mesmerised by her kind spirit, one of the things that drew us close. We both valued our friendship but she tried hard to avoid an inter-faith relationship because she knows of the laws by which she must live. But it seems we could not stop ourselves from falling in love, we share the same interests and are very close in our moral views. She told me that she should not go out with a non muslim but by this time I said that I would try to remain open minded and learn about the religion. I have never had any negative conseptions of the religion and have always been accepting of her religion as well as everything else.
I have been learning about Islam because I wanted to understand what she beleives in, anything important to her is important to me. I told her that I didnt feel the need to have a religion, that I beleive in right and wrong and that it is an intrinsic part of my life and she told me that Islam may be compatible with my beliefs. I have now read about 1/3 of the quran and am yet to read anything I cannot agree with.
I have always struggled to come to terms with beleiving in a literal God, a free-thinking being that exists in our dimension or another, but have learned to understand Him as something far simpler - a summary of everything that is good, in the past, now and the potential. With this beleif, I find it IMPOSSIBLE to deny His existence, because we see it everywhere we go and it is what makes me who I am. Denying these things would be denying the world i live in.
I am a very scientific and analytical person, and I can relate to the Quran far more than the bible. I agree that Jesus being God sounds somewhat unlikely and not inline with what I beleive God to be. I maintain concerns that much of the bible may have been ellaborated by humans or delivered in a way to make it easier to understand for those who cannot contemplate. The appeal to me of the Quaran is that, God believing or not, it is a simple manual that guides you on how to live a good life, it sets out what is right to do for those who may not have considered and therefore acts as a reminder and a prompt to think about your own actions.
Because of my scientific mind, I find it hard to beleive in miracles, angels and other supernatual phenomena - although i fully understand that sciense in no way could disprove these - sicience is based on observations. However I beleive I can relate to the messages in the Quran and use this to aid me in my ambition to lead a life that pleases others and allows me to live in peace.
In this respect I find Islam incredibly simple to understand. There are no distractions as I beleive Jesus is within the christian faith. The religion is solely focussed on good intentions.
Now my dilemma occurs here : I feel no need to 'convert' to islam to improve my way of life, I have already taken many lessons from what I have read and beleive they have improved me as a person. I am fasting this month so that I can understand what she goes through and also realise that it makes me more aware of the luxuries i live with so that I can be more grateful. I beleive my intentions are twofold, caused by my love for a muslim girl, that I want to be honest and accept her faith and secondly for my own inquisitiveness and being open to understand a new faith.
In order for us to marry, I know i must convert, I feel like i beleive in most of what I have read but my interpretations may not be as literal as most.
The most difficult rule to follow for me is around food. Like many of the laws set out in the Quaran, i beleive they were intended to guide us on how we should behave. To me, Halal food is food from animals which have been killed in a humane manner. 2000 years ago, slitting the throat was humane, the blood leaves the body to leave clean meat, free from infection and I would imagine this was done by many more people than it is today. I understand the importance of being thankful for what we eat and that we should not be greedy. Having said this, I do not understand how another mans prayer over an animal makes it cleaner for us to consume. I want to eat meat that has been killed with the welfare of the animal in mind and be grateful for what i have. I do not see the importance of halal vs non halal chicken.
I have stopped eating pork because the descision not to eat it reminds me of the lessons of the quaran. 2000 years ago i would expect pork was far more dangerous to eat and it is clearly still a cause of disease today, although a much smaller threat.
I still want to drink alcohol because it is a social activity. I have become more aware of what i consume and that i should look after my body and mind. There are benefits that I would resent if i stopped drinking, I may lose touch with friends. I never become aggressive and maintain awareness of my effect on others when i drink.
So my question is, from what I have written, can I consider myself a muslim? Does it matter how other people interpret my faith or that I may not beleive in things as literally as they are written. I understand that there are several practises in the Quaran that no longer apply to modern society such as those around slavery - so do my actions of selectively obaying rules while still maintaining intentions of good discount me as a muslim or am I right in beleiveing it is far deeper than this?
Thankyou
|
Replies:
Posted By: Hayfa
Date Posted: 05 August 2011 at 3:43pm
Asalaam Alaikum,
Welcome to the forum.
#1: the most important thing is belief in one God, apostles, angels etc. This is central core to being a Muslims. It is about your relationship with God/ Allah. It is about what you think is the purpose of your life. Only you can delve into this for yourself.
I think most people have a challenges in adjusting thought, ideas, ways of living. By becoming a Muslim and marrying a Muslim woman you will probably have to give things up- if the woman is a practicing Muslim it would be hard to ask her to say, eat non-halal meat or have alcohol in the house.
A few thoughts: halal meat. Islam is very much about purification. Purifying behavior, thoughts, actions. Halal meat is more than just making it "cleaner." Have you ever seen the Native Americans who say a prayer before they kill an animal they are going to kill and eat. This is to keep God Consciousness in one's mind to the best of our ability. The taking of life should never be taken for granted. As people who purchase this meat we are secure that this "killing" was not done without thought. We are thus connected in a purposeful way.
Alcohol: alcohol is not about how it may or may not affect one's behavior- i.e. be violent. You are right plenty of people are not violent. What one cannot be is "God Conscious" of one has altered one's brain functioning.
You mentioned "loosing friends" if you do not drink.. then are they really your friends if that is the only think you do with them? Jusy a question only you could answer for yourself.
Minus the affects your choices could have on your wife, some of these aspects are minor as opposed to core belief in One God, the Prophets etc. Then its about adding prayer etc.
Phenomena: I am a "questioning" type of person and have a hard time relating to certain ideas of "miracles" etc. For me, I say it could be there.. probably is and I am not going to relate to every layer to anything. I love Islam and feel "secure" in certain areas, less so in other. That's okay. I am but human. And I recognize my own limitations that I am not so smart that I can possible understand all the levels to Islam.
And we really don't know where any of us will be in 20 years. Most of us who become Muslims, we transition slowly. We have an initial surrender when we do our Shahada and then we keep surrendering throughout our lives. Sometimes we "fail" but the idea is to keep trying and asking forgiveness for our weaknesses.
Peace
Hayfa
-------------
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi
|
Posted By: peacemaker
Date Posted: 06 August 2011 at 12:54am
|
Assalamu Alaikum,
"And I recognize my own limitations that I am not so smart that I can possible understand all the levels to Islam."
Sister, that is very good observation. We may and should try our best, but we may never reach the point of perfection. Therefore, we may strive to remain very close to it or closest to it. There are many things that would always remain beyond human comprehension. That means the challenge to keep trying our best would also be present permanently.
May Allah guide us all.
Peace
-------------
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
Qur'an 55:13
|
Posted By: jonlondon
Date Posted: 06 August 2011 at 2:44am
Many thanks to you both for you constructive advice it is greatly appreciated and helps me to understand things clearer.
I have strong intentions to do what is right and wish to earn forgiveness when I make mistakes. Islam has definately made me more aware of some of the aspects of my life and I am far more thankful these days. I feel in that respect that I am on the right path and maybe I am realising that it is my own decision to consider myself Muslim rather than the judgement of others.
I Beleive the faith offers me answers and a guide to what is best.
Many thanks
|
Posted By: abuayisha
Date Posted: 06 August 2011 at 7:38am
|
Have you discussed these concerns with her father? I am sure he would like to hear them and can advise you appropriately. You become a Muslim when you testify with belief that there is only one god - Allah; worthy of our worship, and Muhammad is His final Prohet and Messenger.
|
Posted By: mrs shadab
Date Posted: 08 August 2011 at 2:54am
Although i am not perfect in writing but i would just say that to know ALLAH swt and believe in muhammad (pbuh )to be the last messenger ,just feel by heart everthing, every question u have asked and every commandments of ALMIGHTY GOD,u would naturally will find the answers of ur each questions,,but frist think by heart dont mingle it with ur mind,that what ur mind says,,the one voice coming from ur heart would be inshaALLAHthe right one and u can share it with that muslim girl,start reading n understanding the holy QURAN n do come in conection with any muslim scholar,,inshaALLAH u will get all of ur answers and ur way to accept islam will be easy ,,but brother dont ever confuse with ur own questions like "if this is so ,,then why this is not like that,,or why is that so??coz ALLAH SWT says in quran"take whatmessenger of ALLAH,muhammad pbuh give u ,,n leave that what HE(muhammad pbuh) abstain u from.... n we muslim do this without questioning n undesrstanding,,,
may ALLAH help u makeur make ur way to understand islam easy for u ..
wassalm
|
Posted By: Ghazzali
Date Posted: 16 August 2011 at 3:47am
May peace be on the guided ones. First of all, to answer your question 'am I muslim?', no, you are not yet. In order to be a muslim, you need to declare that There is no God but Allah and Muhammad pbuh is the slave and messenger of Allah.
Now coming to your viewpoints about life, brother, how do you define what is right and wrong? You believe some things are right and some are wrong. Before that, you need to define right or wrong. Philosophers have differed on the definition of right and wrong. Some have even said there is no ultimate right or wrong. Everything happening is just an event taking place at a time. Right and wrong are relative to each other. Your views about rightness of something will probably change as you gain more knowledge and experience. When i first started to keep beard, i could not find much logic behind it, but i still kept it since prophet told us to do so. It was after a few years that i found the benefits. First of all, people expected high standards from me. People expected me to be ethical, not to use foul language, not to flirt with women, not to smoke, not to drink, etc. So, effectively, i was being forced by people around me to lead an ethical life. They would smoke themselves, but they would never offer me to smoke, they would watch pornography, but they would not invite me to join them. And all this just for keeping a beard. There are many other advantages. So you see, somethings might seem meaningless at one point of time, but may seem meaningful at some other point. Right and wrong would always be debatable. So our belief should be based on truth. We should believe whatever is the truth. It does not matter whether laws of Islam seems right or wrong to an individual, what matters is whether islam is the truth, whether prophet muhammad pbuh is a messenger, whether Quran is the word of God? This is what you should be bothered about. If it is true, accept it without hesitation. If it is false, search for the truth until you find it. You cannot escape truth. It's all around you. Your very existence is true.
Is death right or wrong? Should our loved ones ever die? It does not matter. It does not matter whether death is right or wrong. Death is the reality. Man will die. It's the truth. We just have to accept it and move on. Similarly, it does not matter whether alcohol is harmful or beneficial. Allah forbade us, so we will not drink. Because if we disobey Allah, we will go to hell. This is the truth. The sun rises in the east, 1+1=2, there is nothing good or bad about these. These are just the truth.
For the proof that Islam is the truth, you can search 'Is the quran God's word' by Dr.Zakir Naik, on the internet. You will find both video and written lecture insha'allah. Also, you may search 'The proof that islam is the truth' by Abdur Rahim Green on youtube.
May Allah show you the true path.
P.S. Another point of view is that, Allah decides what is right or wrong, not you and me. When Allah says something is right, it really is right. We just need to verify whether the information is from Him or not.
-------------
The world is a dangerous place to live in, not because of the bad people, but because of the good people who does not do anything about it.
|
Posted By: hobby
Date Posted: 27 August 2011 at 9:00am
Salaam Alaykum my brother in humanity. I wish you peace.
Alhamdullilah, our brothers and sisters here have already given you some
good advise. As stated, if you accept that there is no God except Allah
(that is that there is only one God, who has no son, daughter or other
relative and who solely deserves to be worshiped) and that the Muhammad
(PBUH) is the (final) Prophet of Allah, then you are on the first step
to becoming a muslim. The next step would be for you to proclaim this
(called the Shahadah) in front of a group of muslims, usually at a Mosque.
From your comments, I infer that you already believe the first part of the Shahadah relating to the Oneness of God. For you to become a muslim, you would need to also believe the second part relating to Muhammad (PBUH) being the last and final Prophet of Allah. If you read the Quran and believe it to be the word of God, then you would automatically believe that Muhammad, through whom the Quran was revealed, is the Prophet of Allah.
I would strongly suggest that you try reading the book that bro Ghazzali referred you to ('Is the quran God's word' by Dr.Zakir Naik) as well as continue reading the Quran. Also, why not try to locate a mosque close by where you can go to meet other muslims (apart from your loved one) for discussion as well as observe them worshiping.
Regarding Halal meat, in addition to the comment by sister Hayfa, it is not just the prayer over the animal during slaughter that makes it Halal but rather the manner in which it is slaughtered. This is why we are allowed to eat meat slaughtered by people of the book as long as they have slaughtered it appropriately. In fact, the prayer is more for the person slaughtering the animal in recognizing that it is Allah that has given him the permission and ability to slaughter another living thing.
Know that Islam is simple and straight forward and does not require you to suddenly be able to carry out all the requirements of a muslim overnight. But you are required to keep learning and trying to understand in order to practice all aspects of the faith. During the time of the Prophet (PBUH), muslims did not start worship Allah as we do today right away. Rather, Allah , through his Prophet (PBUH), showed them the way to worship him gradually as their faith and knowledge progressed over time.
So, Insha Allah, my future brother in Islam, know that if you declare the Shahadah and continue to strive and learn, it will one day be easy, by Allah`s will, for you to understand and practice Islam as it should in its entirety.
Peace.
|
Posted By: jonlondon
Date Posted: 28 August 2011 at 10:34am
Many thanks for all of your replies. They have all been of great help and I now feel I am on my journey. I have been fasting for Ramadan and have almost finished reading the Quran. I have a stronger beleif now and hope that i can strengthen my faith further.
|
|