Muslims, I need your input

Hey!

I am so sorry I have been MIA for a while. I totally haven't seen your post until now from Twitter. I hope all is well with you and your loved ones.

As for this blog, I simply love the question. This was me before I reverted to Islam from Christianity. I was very confused as to what I wanted to be, but I always knew there was a higher being and I wanted to be closer to this being to ensure my place when I die will be as good as possible. I always knew there was a creator because of all the signs I have read about and see for myself day by day. To me, the best explanation has been the Qur'an.

You should definitely try and watch the documentary names The Arrivals. The page is down, I believe, but you can go on YouTube and search for it. There are 50 episodes, but they are only 10 minutes each. The maker(s) have also made a documentary called Phase Three, also on YouTube. These are awesome to watch and will best explain what I feel is pretty much hitting the nail on the head about what is going on in this world and why people are talking very negatively about Islam.

Like many Muslims will say, Islam makes sense. There is nothing I have came across that makes more sense than Islam. When you read the Qur'an and even Hadith, you will simply see that Islam is NOTHING how these monsters are making it seem on the media. The media is very evil and will make you think so much that should not even be crossing your mind. Talk about oppression! When you reflect, it all comes to you.

I can go on and on, but I will stop here for this I believe is the best thing to say and do. Read as much as you can and be VERY careful who you go to for knowledge because even some who claim to be Muslim are only trying to corrupt you. The Qur'an is the key, but those documentaries are really good.

Thank you :-)

Oh been delaying my response but Hadija did a very good job explaining most of the part. So I guess she answered all.

The beautiful of Islam is Allah Himself. The Creator, The Oneness, there's no God but Him. That's what keeps me believing.

There's a hadith that always touches me everytime I read it.

It is narrated in a hadith Qudsi (direct revelation to Prophet Muhammad) "God Most High says I am as my Servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me by himself, I make mention of him to Myself. If he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than his. If he comes closer to Me a hand span, I come closer to him arms-length, if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running."

No human beings can offer the love like the love of Allah. Allah is truly Beautiful.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and everyone :-)

1.Peace and Blessings all
2.Hi I’m Hadija. I am a Muslim. And I’m a Malaysian.
3.I was born a Muslim. But that’s NOT the ONLY or the MAIN reason that I am a Muslim.
4.I am a Muslim because I’m a believer. I believe in the concept of the shahada. I believe in the one concept of God (Allah).
5.I am peaceful being in this religion. I am not forced to embrace it. Yes my parents taught me Islam. But now that I’m an adult, I could have chosen to be an atheist, a Hindu, or a Christian if I wanted to. And I’ve had many exposure and learning experiences of the other main religions during college. But I chose and still choose to be a Muslim as this is what I believe in.
6.I remembered studying Christianity and Hinduism as these are the main two main religions I’d been exposed to at school beside Islam.
7.Without being disrespect to other religions (as this is purely my opinion and I have great respect for good people regardless what religion they embrace or lack of religion therein), I found Christianity as unfathomably vague and it doesn’t answer the most common sense questions let alone spiritual ones. I found Hinduism and Hindu people as deeply spiritual and I am amazed to as how pious some of them are. Yet again, it doesn’t answer questions. At least it doesn’t answer my questions. It is more to “Do as what you are told to do” and that was not satisfying.
8.And I researched back the religion I was born with. And I found beauty and answers. And I’ve never felt alone now that I have deep-rooted my belief in Islam.
9.I have to say I’m lucky to have been born in my family and my country where (at least in my generation and forward) boys and girls receive the same education. We have total equality. We have the same rights. Religion is not mistaken to culture and culture is not mistaken to religion.
10.In many third world countries, where Islam being the main religion, people are still caged by cultural norms. When honor killing, oppression and injustice happen, the world reads ISLAM says yes to those cruelties. When in fact, the word Islam itself means PEACE.
11.People, read carefully, Islam PROHIBITS honor killing, oppression, double standards, male chauvinism, illiteracy and ALL backward cultures. Islam DOES NOT tell a government to let only 1 in 3 women to be literate or that women cannot drive a car, or that women should cover everything from head-to-toe once they hit the age of 13. Check your resources people before you bash Islam. Islam DOES NOT teach NOR allow such practices. Everything bad that you read about Islam is NOT Islam. Because there is NOTHING bad about Islam. Any bad attributes are done by people who are Muslims and who do not follow Islamic teachings, yet they say they are following.
12.I wish people would realize that the actions and hypocrisy of some Muslims do not represent Islam. If I don’t pray and I don’t cover my aurah, that’s my choice. You can not deplete me of my choices. At the end of time, I would face God alone and that’s my personal issues. But I wish people would stop attributing Islam to what the Muslims do. Common sense people, no religion asks the people to blow themselves out in public and kill people. Just because the do-er was a Muslim, how just and fair is the argument to put the whole religion as guilty?
13.When I read Hindu people in India beat a woman to death just because they thought she was a witch, I never once said Hinduism taught them to. People’s actions, mistakes, and hypocrisy should not be attributed to their religion.
14.I envy Muslim reverts as they could narrate beautifully how they find Islam and be Muslims. Still I am proud (more than ever) that I’m a Muslim, and I choose to stay a Muslim as I believe in Allah and the teachings of Islam. And most importantly, Islam recognizes my rights as a human and as a woman. I am peaceful with my religion.
15.Thank you @thespianduckie to have let me and the others to tell the world as to why we are Muslims.
16.Professor Sulaiman Dufford says, “When a non-believer challenges you about Islam, DO NOT use current issues as your defense/justification. You will not do justice to Islam if you do so. Instead, start with the basis of Islam which is the concept of the shahada and the peaceful definition of Islam itself”
17.Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Malaysian former prime minister and currently a human activist) and Dollah Ahmad (Editor, political spectator, human activist) say, “There is NOTHING wrong with Islam”
18.Peace and blessings and love.

I loved this! You talked about why you are Muslim, some of the struggles you went through but also discussed why some people are not Islam & shouldn't be confused in the same manner. This is exactly the problems I'm running into and your comment is exactly what I've been saying :-)

I usually don't prefer to tell about faith but for the topic's subject, I am a devoted Muslim born in a Muslim-Arabic-Egyptian family, however since many years ago, I went through researching via reading on my own about different religions, faiths and philosophies not because of the family but rather because I have many questions -and still of course- since I was very young that you always find no people to answer at least in our Region away from being biased or fanatic. As time passed, I became more convinced in what I believe "Islam" and here I am currently 32 years old, stabled with what I believe but of course still have many questions that are not necessarily about faith itself.

I think the wise will always have questions, so you will not be alone in this at all. Thank you for sharing :-)

As salaamu alaykum.
I reverted to Islam a few years ago after having done research into the Christain faith I was associated with. My whole family is Christian. They did not give me any information on anything other than christianity. When I was introduced to Islam, I was totally enlightened. I couldnt believe that I could ever not be muslim.

I agree with the sister saying that Islam is everything the church but better, and correct, and truthful as well. It made sense and I had been so confused previously, which is why I had no trouble reverting.

What keeps me believing? The truth of islam is proven to me every day. I feel safe and comforted by its evidences. Allah is most great!!!
I also saw it as an advancement on what I already believed, it was that but I could swallow it whole. when I was christian, I could not tell others about it because I didnt believe it myself. There comes a certain point in everyone's life when they begin to think for themselves...That is when you take that step toward truth. I cannot emphasize it enough...Islam is the truth. no one can scare me away from it. no amount of media hype or lies about muslims. No scare tactics would work on me...I am muslim and if Allah allows, I will die muslim.

I am finding myself in a very similar situation as you, I was raised Christian but never really felt I could believe, but I still believed in God, so I didn't know what to do, but the more I learn about Islam, the more I understand why I was struggling as a Christian. Thank you for sharing :-)

This is never an easy question for me to answer because there's probably 1,000 reasons why I stick it out.. I been Muslim since I was 18, now 28, an important note since 18 is the age where most are having the time of their lives partying, dating, drinking, etc. I chose to settle down, be married and raise children.. call it a small sacrifice, if you will, for some American Muslim's..

Anyway 1st off I was a learned Catholic girl & Islam was everything the church taught but better because Islam made sense. Islam answered the questions my teachers refused to answer. Islam placed emphasis on proofs (daleel). and Muslims believed in all I already believed which was the beloved Prophets & the story of Mary. I accepted Islam as being the same religion, the final revelation of what I already knew.

I still am Muslim because I believe in one God, Allah & because without Islam I would probably be lost in something unpraiseworthy. Being a chaste women is praiseworthy..

Thank you for your comment :-) I think it's a brave thing for anyone to go through their late teen years as a Muslim knowing that the faith requires you to be more protective of yourself than most faiths.

Well, I was born muslim in a muslim country..Since I was a kid, I used to love that fact but actually I don't think that my being muslim was on solid basis, It was more or less something taken for granted because it was like "We are ALL muslims here"..
Then, as a teenager, I was so overwhelmed by the "bigger" world which was totally new for me..As I'm a science-oriented person struggling to understand everything going on in the cosmos, being a monotheist was somehow not easily accepted and I began to think, read and analyze both points of view ...I consider this point as the starting point of my spiritual life..I came to know how great Islam is compared to any other option..Atheism for me is purely nonsense...."I don't believe what I can't see" is like the dumbest principle coz we ALL believe in stuff we can't see..And I can say that all these science-related theories on which atheists hang can easily refuted.
Now, Inside monotheism,Islam is definitely my choice..I came to know during my research how there are lots of flaws in the other "holy" books..Quran is beyond perfect..
Another thing is that modern science always reveals miracles in the Quran..Of course I'm interested in that and it makes me believe more and more everyday..It's like Alah doesn't want us to hesitate so he gave us this great book so we can always assure ourselves tha we are on the right path...Knowing Arabic is a great blessing for me because I KNOW that no one whoever they are could have written the Quran..It's just like no other...

Thank you for your comment :-) I like that you were honest with the fact that you struggled and came back and now it seems you are strong in your faith. :-)

I was born to Muslim parents, though not really "Muslim" myself. Islam was taught casually in my home. I knew I was Muslim and I knew I believed in Allah but I didn't really follow it. I was young, unaware of religion and it was really the last thing on my mind. I came to Lebanon five years ago, modernized and western...that is a big problem especially in my village. I was told I would go to hell for not praying and that they would set my hair on fire for not wearing the hijab. Naturally I thought to myself, "well if this is Islam, then why would I want to be a part of those beliefs?" I was naive and rebellious so I simply dismissed Islam from my life and was somewhat ashamed by these beliefs. I got a little older and little more curious, so I started to ask my mother about it. I was shocked about how different it was...I was shocked that so many of the things people used to torment me for had nothing to do with Islam at all. I was ashamed because I had the nerve to judge it without doing my research correctly...I let other people show me what it was about when in reality I should have learned about it myself. So now, I am slowly learning about it...and it is just so much more logical then I thought. The stereotypes you hear about religion makes you think it's close minded and confining...it makes you want it to disappear. But it's 100 percent OPPOSITE of that. It provides me with a perfect modern and modest lifestyle. It's intelligent and reasonable...it doesn't leave you questioning. There is an answer for everything & who wouldn't feel comfortable with that?

Also the beauty of the Qur'an is that it has been the same way since the day it was sent down. It was never altered or lost in translations. When I learned about other religions, there were empty bits and things that sounded like conspiracies to me. If you read the Qur'an yourself and don't follow anyone's view on it, it will make sense. Emit the politics and the "extremists", emit it's propaganda...you will find yourself indulged in it's logic and absolutely surprised at what it REALLY is. A beautiful religion.

I love the fact that you have experienced Islam both in the "western" world and in Lebanon and got to see some of the stereotypes yourself and then discovered it wasn't Islam. Thank you so much for your comment, your story shows your struggle but how you have come back to what is "home"

I was also born Muslim but I have learned about different religions and just like x said Islam simply makes more sense to me.

I find one of the interesting things about most Muslims is that they learn about the other Monotheistic faiths because they are part of Islam, I don't find that very often with non-Muslims. Thank you for your comment :-)

I am born into the religion of Islam, and I am 100% convinced with its basics and beliefs. As I was growing up, I was interested in learning about other religions as well. I was very open to understanding everything around me, and I didn't want to appear to others that I am ignorant about other religions because I was brain washed by my own. On the contrary, i started understanding my religion more by learning about others. I saw the similarities and minor differences in each of them. What I have concluded that all religions are pretty similar to one another and believe in a higher power.

So, why differentiate and hate Muslims because they seem to be more devout to their religion and apparent about it?

Thank you for your comment :-) I am also finding that they are all very similar as I have studied just about all of them in my own search.

For me it is simply the fact that it makes sense. It incorporates morality, love, kindness, modesty, trust as well as courage, freedom, fearlessness and justice. There is Hikmah in all the laws of God, and maybe because the Hikmah isnt direct or sometimes even understandable to a human mind do I feel it is by a being greater than I. It calls out to a creative mind to think deeper than the mere surface. Islam is not just a religion but a whole way of life. I believe it is the only path to happiness.

Thank you :-) "Islam is not just a religion but a whole way of life." I've heard this from others as well.

Salam all,

I was born Muslim, and the day I was born, the first words my father whispered to my ears were the Athan. Everyone comes to this life with this innocence put into his heart. Whether you stay a Muslim or not depends on if you nourish that innocence, and faith.

My parents used to tell me about the Prophets, about God, and made me love them, just by talking about them. Without any form of moral obligation. As I grew up, and began thinking with my own mind, I just found how fair Islam was. Even where people could find injustice, as for example the status of women, I found great justice, that I couldn't find in ANY other religion. See my dear sister's comment above, she sums up everything.

But what makes me say I will never leave Islam, is that peace I find in God, in His book, when I'm praying Him, when I'm talking to Him, when I'm totally abandoning myself in His hands, knowing that He will never ever let me fall., and that I can ALWAYS count on Him. That's my Islam.

Thank you for your comment. :-) I really loved the image of your father whispering in your ears.

First off I would like to thank you for allowing me to be apart of your project.
I became Muslim eight years ago, but only after extensive research about the history of religion in general, as well as the history of many religions and their traditions, and beliefs.

First Judaism, and than Christianity, and than Islam. I was brought up in a christian family, but I did not agree with many falsehood and pagan traditions. I knew for a fact that there was one God, one creator. I knew Jesus was not God, and I knew of many instances where the words of God had been changed in the bible etc.

To make a long story short, ad I became a more spiritual person, and not just one who follows with what everyone else thinks or says, but a student of knowledge on my own, I found Islam.

IT made perfect since. One God, one Creator, but still reverence, respect and love for the prophets I previously knew about like Moses Abraham, Jesus etc.

I felt I had many blessings and thing to be grateful for. I need a lifestyle to fit with what I believed was beneficial. I lifestyle that gave me purpose, and encouraged me to praise and worship the one who created me.

That was Islam. I learned to pray, I studied Arabic, and two years later became Muslim. That was eight, almost nine years ago. And Praise be to Allah, I learn more every day, I release my ego, and depend on Allah ( God) I know that he has a purpose for me, as we all do, and I strive to be the best I can be in service to him, not simply out of worship, but out of love for him, what he has done for me, as well as simply for who he is.

Sounds like you're journey has been similar to mine, gives me comfort to know I am doing okay going as slow as I am with the learning process. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I appreciate it a lot.

Salam w Alaikum w RahmatAllah w Barakatu
May the peace,blessings and mercy of God be upon you.

This question is great,especially during times which cause xenophobia to rain free over the Muslims living in the West.

I am a Muslim woman and I am one because Islam is my key to freedom - within my heart and deep within my soul:
1.I am spiritually equal to a man:
"Allah has got ready forgiveness and tremendous rewards for the Muslim men and women; the believing men and women; the devout men and women; the truthful men and women; the patiently suffering men and women; the humble men and women; the almsgiving men and women; the fasting men and women, the men and women who guard their chastity; and the men and women who are exceedingly mindful of Allah."
(Qur'an 33:35)

2. I am treated with respect (i.e. beatings and disrespect by men against women is not permissible)
Allah's Messenger (My peace and blessings be unto him and his family) said: a believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another.
(Muslim Book 8, Number 3469)

These are only a few of my rights - Islam elevates a woman's status,something unheard of and unbeknownst to many living in the United States and the like. The reason I say this is because I live in the USA and notice the ignorance.

I am a Muslim,generally speaking,because I believe that there is one Creator - He begets not nor is He begotten and He sent messengers/prophets to deliver His message to us.

Islam is not just about praying and fasting etc but about almsgiving, creating a family, worship of God through supplication, justice, peace etc

Islam is my freedom,my life and my choice and yes - I am a Muslim woman.

It is my right to dress in accordance to my faith, my right to worship in accordance to my faith and it is my right to love humanity in accordance to my faith.

"If anyone slays a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land -it would be as if he slew all people.And if anyone saves a life,it would be as if he saved the life of all people."
Qur'an 5:32

"Goodness and evil are not equal. Repel evil with what is better.Then that person with whom there was hatred, may become your intimate friend! And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint,none but people of the greatest good fortune."
Qur'an 41:34-35

Thank you and may the peace,blessing and mercy of God be unto you and those of whom you love.

Thank you for your input :-) I also wanted to thank you for being the first to comment & providing some scripture passages.