I don't see the point of Islam anymore... and I know that sounds outrageous on an islamic board - but I want you to hear what I have to say before you start telling me I'm going to hell.
As long as you don't insult or mock the Islamic faith in your stay here and your intentions are to have a sincere conversation, then that's fine.
With regards to condemning you to hell - may Allah guide you to faith instead. Aameen.
We will be judged according to whether we die in a state of faith, so we Muslims should never take our own iman for granted in the first instance. No matter how much worship we do, if our last moment on Earth is a faithless one, we will be punished and our deeds would be worthless.
Fear. Fear. Fear.
If you do this, you'll get a reward. If you do that you'll get punished.
The fact is, you muslims strive to be "perfect" in the eyes of god so they don't get "punished"... what kind of way to live is that?
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
You are only seeing this from one side. Perhaps your experience of Islam to date has been one where people have only been showing you to have fear of Allah but that is a totally incorrect approach. Yes, fear is necessary but at the same time, you need
hope and
love for Allah.
We can't always have total fear of Allah thinking that Allah will destroy us for the tiniest of things so that we are never able to have a moment's peace.
At the same time, however, we can't always have hope in Allah thinking that Allah will forgive anything and everything we do. We'd end up complacent and go on to commit sin after sin.
Balance is required. We take the middle and moderate path. Have hope in the mercy of Allah (Allah is All Merciful, All Compassionate afterall, these are his well known attributes) and at the same time, we fear his punishment. That way, we don't go astray either way.
If we commit a sin,
it's not the end of the world. It's very important to not live in despair and fear. Allah has
created us sinful in nature. It is natural that we will sin.
However, He wants us to seek sincere repentance and he
will forgive us if we are genuine.
Why should I fear Allah? In nature, the strongest animals survive, it's just a fact of life. You can tell me that I should be greatful for my blessings - and I am - but different people have different struggles and that's what makes life worth living.
He created us. We are to love him and to fear him for what he can do to us. Once again, balance.
Here's something I want you to think about...
- NO historical proof that the prophet even existed
- All "proof" is just OTHER related islamic books from his early followers (if he even existed)
- There is no historical, or scientific proof that the moon was ever split
- Muslims fight amongst, and are seperated by different belief systems within the SAME religion (shiah, sunni, milaade, jamate... WHATEVER MAN!)
Even the most ardent of Islamophobes don't deny that Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihe Wasalam existed.
If he didn't exist, who did write the Quran? Who united the many fractured Arab tribes and made them go on to conquer much of the known world? These early people went and risked their lives for the cause of Islam. If they did not, then there would be no Islam. So we can ascertain that something definitely possessed them to do what they did. What was it? A poem? A metaphor? Who would give their life for something that they were not sure of?
Regarding muslims fighting amongst each other - what exactly is your point? How does that affect the veracity/truthfullness if Islam?
We believe that there will always be strife and tribulation in this world. A fundamental tenet of the faith is the we will be tested.
There is not going to be any everlasting utopia on this world.
Our time in this world is transitory. It lasts a day or part of a day of the 'real' time (of the hereafter). It's a worthless world, existing purely for the sake of a test.
We are told time and time again not to be materialistic people. Money doesn't mean anything if we are devoid of guidance. By contrast, being destitute and struggling for food whilst being
content and thankful to Allah for the guidance he has given
is priceless to us in the hereafter.
As to why there is such a split amongts Muslims - firstly, we believe in shaytan/iblees. An avowed enemy on to us. He will do anything in his power to mislead us.
Secondly, each person has his own nafs (dark inner desires) that he needs to overcome.
This explosive mix of shaytan whispering bad things into our hearts and corrupting us, coupled with our own inner desires which we need to overcome, lead us to do immoral things.
So it's
understandable that there are divisions amongst Muslims. People for whatever reason, have behaved in a less than honorouable manner throughout our past and present and they will continue to do so.
HOWEVER, this is a reflection on
them. NOT the Islamic faith.
Shaytan in his enmity to mankind will most definitely try to corrupt the true religion of Islam. It stands to reason, again, that you have such divisions then.
And control...
The world is changing fast. And it's because music, TV, media, consumerism and all that garbage that gets peddled for "life" out there...
But WHO owns these channels of control? The RICHEST people do... and if you do your due diligence and research control structures, you would know that 1% of the elite super rich have massive control over everything that you experience.
Does "allah" expect EVERYONE to know that they are being controlled? and manipulated by violence, sex, perverted thoughts (homosexuality, feminism, demasculinization) drugs, war, and all that stuff that leaves many people crippled in their own state of mind?
Allah has informed us that he has created each human being in a state of fitrah. A clean slate. We get corrupted by our environment.
Allah tells us that truth stands clear from falsehood. So we have been created in such a way that we know what is right and wrong when it is presented to us. The issue is, will we act upon what we know to be right or go on the wrong?
For example, if you tell a person theft is wrong, that would stand clear to reason. In cases where people give in to it, it's not a matter of them
not knowing it is wrong: they will do it because it feels good to them (e.g. stealing the latest iphone), despite having full awareness that it is wrong.
People give in to their dark desires. This is wrong and THIS is what Allah wants us to fight against. He has made us susceptible and weak. He has made us thirst for material comforts and pleasures. We need to fight them and it can be done if we:
(i) use our willpower
(ii) make dua! Seek guidance from and refuge in Allah from all evil.
We pray Surah Fatiha several times, with each of the five time daily prayers. This surah has a verse 'ihdinas siratul mustaqeem', which is a supplication, asking Allah to show us the correct path.
So despite all these temptations and problems we find, we need to show our servitude to Allah and
seek help from him.
Doesn't it make sense that the same people who control this world could be controlling YOU through religion by keeping you stuck in a perpetual state of fear of god, fear of making mistakes, fear of missing your prayers, fear of this and that...?
Please set yourself straight:
Ultimate control of everything belongs to Allah. Whatever control the people in this world have has been bestowed upon them by Allah as a gift. It is up to them how they use it. If they use it in a bad manner, they will be reckoned for it.
And my thoughts regarding women...
We were made to pro-create.
Wrong. We were made to worship Allah. Getting married and procreating is part and parcel of life and CAN be considered worship if and when the right formalities are observed and pure intentions kept.
I don't believe in having to get married before you have sex. Sex is a part of growing up, becoming a man, knowing yourself, and exchanging energy with a woman... and since when did having a contract that says your married come into play?
This is nonsense. You simply wish to indulge in your inner desires without having to commit to anything. Walk in and walk out.
You are trying to degrade the status of man. We are RESPONSIBLE and have RESPONSIBILITIES. We don't live like animals. You might as well walk around naked if you think we are nothing but animals.
A piece of paper that says you're in a relationship means nothing to me.
Nikkah is a CONTRACT that is signed. When you sign up for one, you have rights and duties to fulfil and rights and duties to expect. For example, a man has the right that his wife provides for his sexual needs and a woman has the right granted by this contract that her husband provides food and shelter for her.
If a man cannot control his sexual desire, Islamic law has given him the ability to marry up to four women - in fact, it becomes wajib/near compulsory upon him to take on more wives
if he is in fear of commiting adultery.
To be perfectly honest, I think your reasons are due to lack of Islamic knowledge and more related to side issues, rather than any dissatisfaction with the Islamic theology (how can you hate it
when you don't even know the beauty of it yet).
First, kindly try to learn about Islam
properly, before dismissing it.