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Considering Islam, but....


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#1 Guest_Staar_*

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Posted 19 November 2004 - 10:35 PM

I'm new to this site.  So I'm not even sure that i'm posting this in the right section.  I'm hoping someone can give me some guidance.

I have seriously been considering Islam for the last 6 months.  A good freind of mine took his Shahadah (SP?) in Dec. 2002 and since has been talking to me about Islam.  I have begun reading some of the Qur'an and it speaks to me, in a way that the Bible never did.  The Qur'an just makes sense to me.

I wasn't raised in organized religion.  So, I'm lost.  My friend lives in Texas, so we discuss things back and forth through letters but he isn't able to give me the REAL help and guidance that i need.  I live in Chicago, proper.

The thing is I don't know if i'm understanding what i'm reading.  I just feel overwhelmed and i don't know how to begin this journey.  I don't know any Muslims other than my friend in Texas.  Can anyone give me some advice on what i should be doing in order to begin this spiritual journey?  I know at this point I don't know enough.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.


Staar

#2 sarah_anisah

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Posted 19 November 2004 - 11:43 PM

[marq=left:26cbd6ff0c]Welcome to the Froum Staar

I sincerely hope you enjoy it here and benefit from us as you let us help you along your journey to islam, InshaAllah (God willing).

First of all I would ask you if you felt confident to maybe visit or at least call your local Moqsue, they could maybe put you in touch with Muslim women in your locality. Of course you are more than welcome to ask us anything you are confused about. Many of the sisters here are from non Muslim backgrounds and have walked along that same path that you are on right now  :wink:

Please feel free to get back in touch with any questions or worries you have (we are a friendly bunch here) and we will do our best to help you, InshaAllah!!

Sarah

#3 kazz

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Posted 20 November 2004 - 12:01 AM

Hi there star welcome to the forum, I hope it benefits you as much as it has done me.
As sarah said there are many sisters on this site who have reverted (converted) to Islam, myself included very recently. biggrin.gif

QUOTE(Staar)

The thing is I don't know if i'm understanding what i'm reading.  I just feel overwhelmed and i don't know how to begin this journey.  I don't know any Muslims other than my friend in Texas.  Can anyone give me some advice on what i should be doing in order to begin this spiritual journey?  I know at this point I don't know enough.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Staar


If i may ask some questions, what are your current beliefs?
What are you finding difficult to understand mostly?

Well this site is so great for finding information and played a big role in my way to Islam. Use it to ask any questions you have, dont be  :oops: the sister here are the best, so kind and friendly smile.gif .  That feeling of being overwhelmed is one i think may new sisters go through, I certainly did, and to be honest as I am very new still feel sometimes.  Just dont worry, you cant possibly learn everything at once, you need to take your time and do it at your own pace.You always say you dont know enough, I think that was one of my famous sayings, it takes time.

Open you heart, mind and eyes and all will become clear.  I wish you luck with your journey and hopefully it will pass the same station on its journey that I did recently, the station of Peace, Islam. before a journey continues on a new line, the right path.

Well take care, any help you need just ask.
k

#4 Guest_Staar_*

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Posted 20 November 2004 - 01:22 AM

I haven't had the courage to actually call a mosque in my area.  i have gone on islamicfinder.com to find out where they are in my area, but at this point i think i'd feel way to intimidated to go.

Since i wasn't raised in organized religion, religious text is a very difficult read for me.  So, i'm confused i guess.  But the silly thing is that i really don't know where i should begin with my questions.

I know that Christianity has never made sense to me for so many reasons but the main one is, the Trinity, God=Jesus.  I believe Jesus was a prophet, but I don't believe that he was God in the physical form.  I believe that there is only one God who we will be held accountable to.  

The humility, kindness and peace that immanates from Muslims is simply AMAZING and i don't think that even really begins to do it justice.  I've been at ease and lost spiritually...I'm seeking the peace, the tranquility, and the joy that only a relationship with God can bring.  I believe that Islam is the way to achieve that.

I guess my major concerns are:
Understanding the Qur'an
Learning to pray correctly (i don't know Arabic)
Hijab (do all muslim women cover?)

Can a non-muslim go to a masjid?  Will they be welcomed?

#5 D A L I

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Posted 21 November 2004 - 04:38 AM

Assalamu alaikum sisters,


Hey Staar! biggrin.gif  Welcome to the forum!!!! biggrin.gif Glad to have you here....i'm sure you will like it here a lot. We have a great bunch of sisters here who are very knowledgeable and are very helpful who will be able to help with any questions...i include myself because i love to help as well. biggrin.gif

Don't get discouraged if you can't understand what you are reading in the Quran.... biggrin.gif this is one of the proofs that the Quran was not written by man. The lieterature of the Quran is sooo complex and unique that no man can create a chapter of it's equal likeness. biggrin.gif How amazing is that?!?!?

With that said....it is because of it's style that it requires lots of repitition. You have to read the same parts over and over and over again and each time you will find something new in it that you didn't see before, that you didn't understand before, or that you didn't know about before. This is the beauty of the Quran. biggrin.gif

Just start at the beginning....with the very first chapter Surah Al-Fatihah and take it verse by verse and whenever you get stuck.....ask a question and inshallah we will try our best to help you, and if we get stuck we will find outside help but regardless we will help you. :wink: You said that you don't know where to begin with your questions...well start from the beginning. start with the first question that pops into your head and we'll go from there.

I don't have any links to post on here where you could learn how to pray in Arabic with English translation. inshallah some other sisters will post a link for you.

well Staar like i said before feel free to ask all the questions you want...don't be shy :oops: because we won't be hesitant to help you biggrin.gif


#6 jaolep

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Posted 21 November 2004 - 09:41 AM

Assalamu aleikum sisters,

Hi Staar,

Just want to join in welcoming you.  biggrin.gif

As the sisters already said, raise any questions that comes along the way. And I think reading the Qur'an bit by bit is a very good start. To understand the Message given to us.

Enjoy your stay!

Maryam

#7 fathma

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Posted 21 November 2004 - 09:55 AM

Assallamu Alaikum

Welcome Staar,  biggrin.gif
Please ask away with your questions, let us help you Inshallah.

I look forward to reading more from you.

#8 damestjernelys

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Posted 24 November 2004 - 12:06 PM

Salaam Alaikum Sisters  biggrin.gif


Hi Staar!

All I can say is the best thing to do is ask the Sisters here about things. They are GREAT! No question will be taken as stupid or silly and they will do their best to answer them or to direct you to somewhere reliable that can answer it appropriately... and no one here is going to pressure you to become Muslim just because you ask a question or whatnot.. that I can say from personal experience on this forum!

As you learn about Islam, it's important to keep an open mind and an open heart... which it seems that you are doing already, otherwise, I don't think you would have wound up here on the forum!  biggrin.gif

You say that you weren't raised in organised religion. That's fine. In a way, it's a little easier to objectively look at religions if you weren't raised in one because you don't bring any of the baggage with you..

If I may ask, what, if anything, are your current beliefs? Believe me, I won't put them down or judge them, considering that in my own spiritual journey, I did a stint as a Wiccan, a Thelemist  (someone who does the whole Thelema thing), a non-theistic Satanist, and a Hellenic Reconstructionist (someone who follows the religion of ancient Greece) before finally coming to Islam!


Okay.. with your concerns.. I'll address one..

The Hijab Issue..  No, not all Muslim women cover (some due to living where they really can't, some due to work/school, some because they don't believe they have to, some because they just reverted and are 'working up' to that point).. but really, let's be honest.. Muslim women are supposed to cover.

This issue is actually kind of interesting to me.. because I was wearing hijab for a year and some months before even becoming Muslim!

Wearing hijab isn't a terrible burden and it doesn't make your life come to an end.  You can still workout in the gym, play sports, go shopping, go out to eat, take walks, hike, camp, swim and whatnot while wearing it.

And it's not like it all stays on 24/7 either! We do have "normal" (well, in my case.. probably not so normal, since I gravitate to more of a 'Gothic' look when at home LOL) clothes that we wear when the hijab doesn't have to be on..  

It's even practical!  smile.gif  

Oh yes.. and do keep in mind that even Muslim MEN have a 'dress code' to follow! It's not just women..

#9 muslima2002

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Posted 24 November 2004 - 03:39 PM

Hi there
Welcome to the forum  :wink:
I'm looking forward to get to know you. Please ask ANY questions you have and inshAllah (God willing) we'll be able to help you.
I've found some links that might be useful:
¸,ø¤º°`°º¤øWANNA BE MUSLIM & LEARN HOW TO PRAYø¤º°`°º¤ø,:
http://sisters.islamway.com/modules.php?na...ewtopic&t=10130

Whats stopping you?:
http://sisters.islamway.com/modules.php?na...iewtopic&t=4974

#10 rayofhope04

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Posted 25 November 2004 - 06:31 PM

Assalamualaikum Staar,

Don't be overwhelmed, it's okay. I'm sure we've all felt this way about something in our lives. There's a lot of beauty in Islam and the human mind cannot grasp it all. Like sister DALI said, the Qur'an is not human made, it's a divine revelation which we cannot understand fully.

When I am reading the translations, it's very hard for me too. But I got this one Qur'an and it's The Meaning of the Qur'an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali and it's very good. There are notes at the bottom of the page as you go along and they explain in depth what a certain ayah means. It's very good and I recommend it a lot!

Also, Non-Muslims are welcomed in the masjid! Of course! Do you have any Muslim friends in TX that you could go with? It would be easier since they can show you around and what not. Even if you don't know anyone locally, try to search for a mosque and Inshallah you can go to some classes on Islam there (hopefully they have a New Muslim's class) and people can teach you to pray. Also, it's a place to meet a lot of friends as most Muslims are very welcoming and compassionate (that's how we're supposed to be at least tongue.gif )

For your other issues like hijab. Ok first of all we have to realize that we are creations of Allah (swt) and we will never see all the knowledge of the world. We cannot even try to find logic in everything because human minds do not have such a capacity. It's like your mom telling you when you're about to put your hand on the burning stove "Don't do that!!" Then you say "Why? It doesn't look bad!" then you touch it, you get burned, you cry...Your mom's wisdom was so much more and as a child, you were naive and wouldn't listen. You wanted to do everything by yourself.
     Similarly, all humans are creations of Allah (swt) [by the way Allah, I'm sure you know already, is the Arabic word for God. It's the same God that Adam, Noah, Jesus, and Abraham worshipped and of course Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wassalam)] Humans don't know some things so Allah (swt) sent them books and messengers to help them and guide them on the straight path.
  Ok, so now that we there's logic in everything that Allah (swt) made Halal (permissible) and Haraam (not permissible) let's go back to hijab (women's covering).
    The purpose of Hijab is to cover and be modest. First and foremost, we do it because Allah (swt) commanded us to and since we know that he has way more knowledge than us, we should automatically succumb to his commands knowing they will benefit us not Him, it's for us and He is only helping us and making our lives easier by telling us to do these things.
[B]Trying to find the greater logic in this command of Allah's:  In our society and all "societies" since the beginning of man, women have attracted men. When women cover, men cannot see their beauty. Not all men, only men those women are allowed to marry, those men who are captivated by the beauty. Other men like brothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, they don't care about the beauty. They love you for who you are. And of course you don't do hijab in front of your husband, because you're married and he's allowed to see your beauty. Ok so we see today, women wearing pretty much nothing. They are pretty much scraps of meat for the men to pick up, right? Women, in our society, or at least in the West, are oppressed. They are intimidated by the media and men to act, dress and talk a certain way. If they don't they won't fit in. When a women does hijab, she is making a statement that she wants freedom, she wants to be treated like an equal, a person like that right she has. In that way, she is helping herself (by not attracting lustful gazes from all the men) and also people look at her for her personality. So basically a woman in Islam is defined by her Hijab. It molds her personality, it allows her to appreciate more things and become a better person. Without hijab, her life will be not a life, it's just another thing to wave around and try to impress people.
   As Muslims, we should not care what others think, but just trying to please Allah (swt) is our goal. The Qur'an and the sunnah (teachings/sayings/life) of our Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wassalam) should help us to become better individuals and live our life in the best way possible to positively affect this life and the Hereafter.

I hope whatever is stopping you from making the best decision in your life is cleared up and I hope Allah (swt) makes it easy for you to become part of the Muslim ummah (nation) Ameen

Good luck and please post any more questions on this forum! We'd all love to help!!!!!

Wassalam

Zahra




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