Hello

[Who Am I?]

As salaam alaykum,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a single man struggling with some issues in my life at the moment. I was raised a Christian, but have recently become very curious about Islam, partly due to everything that has been going on in the Middle East and North Africa as well as my own life struggles. I started wondering to myself, what is it about their faith that inspires the people of these countries to do what they have done (and continue to do)? Why do they believe what they believe, and why do I believe what I believe?

I am a student of history, so I am vaguely familiar with the history of Islam and how it spread throughout the world, but being a Western Christian, I admit that I know little about Islam as a religion. I only know that I cannot rely on what I see and hear in the Western media since Islam has always had a bad reputation in the Western world (and particularly in the United States).

I took it upon myself to learn all I could about Islam and Muslims. I visited a local mosque and obtained a copy of the Qu’ran. I began to read through it in order to understand what I was looking for. I have also begun taking classes in Arabic and listening to sermons and lessons on the Qu’ran and on Islamic issues. I continue to be surprised and amazed by what I read and hear.

I have to admit that though I was raised a Christian, as an adult I drifted away from that faith. I was a hardcore atheist for several years and spent a lot of time angry and confused about a lot of things. Then one day I realized that life is too short to be angry all the time, and so I began to look for answers, which is what brings me here.

I am struggling to find my identity and my place in this world. All I know right now is that I am not happy with who I am and what I have become over the last 20 years or so. I spent a lot of my life being angry and feeling sorry for myself and hating everything. The time for that is gone, and now I find myself looking for enlightenment. I want to become something better than who I am right now. There has to be more to life than what I have. I have recently began to attend local churches in the area, but have yet to find one where I feel like I belong.

Forgive me if I got a little too serious for my first post, but I feel like I was led here, and I’m trying to figure out why.




Tl;dr: Christian man unhappy with his life and himself is trying to figure out which way is right for him…

[Amat Allah]

Wellcome to IB forum as a new precious and dear member of our big family O my noble and respected brother ...

Please enjoy your stay and whenever you need anything just ask away and never be shy or hesitate ever cause you are among your brothers and sisters here...

May Allah lead your way to the path of the endless true happiness always and forever Aameeeen

in this family; your place is in our hearts my respected brother...

take care of your precious self , God Willing.

Humbly, your sister no matter what you are, who you are and where you are:

Amat Allah

[Muslim Woman]

Salaam/Peace

Welcome to the forum.

Pl. feel free to ask about Islam .

[Amat Allah]

Wa Alikum Assalaam

I don`t know what to say cause I realy don`t know how much you have struggled and suffered ... but I believe that the way of happiness and to know who you are and your place in this world is to live for what God created you for...

and Allah says:"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56) I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. (57) Indeed, it is Allah who is the [continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength. (58)" Surat Athaariyaat

my noble and respecetd brother, never be sad ever cause we have Allah and only we need to find our way to Him and return to Him and that would leads us to the true happiness...

I never knew true happiness till I knew my Lord; till I returned to Him, trusted Him and relied on Him and still...all Praise and Glory be to Allah...

whom to know ya the best and know what best for ya but The One Who Created you O brother...and whom to forgive you and give you while you still sining but Allah The Most Compassionate the Most Merciful Who opened for us the door of repentance and taught us to return to Him always and that His mercy is filling heavens, earth and what between them...

to taste true endless happiness ; it is to be a true servant and slave of the One Who deserves to be worshipped alone , of the One Who created you and the whole world and none like Him the Exalted ever...

Allah loves guidance for His servants so, try your best to seek what Allah loves and trust me you will never ever regret, God Willing.

Humbly, if you don`t mind me asking this Q my respected brother: you said that you have read about Islam and read Qur`aan; how do you feel so far after doing that?

and my brother please, never forget that you have your brothers and sisters here to help ya after Allah so, if needing anything just ask away O part of us...

please take care of your precious self and never forget ever that if the people gave ya their backs then you still have the Lord of the people Whom none like Him the Exalted...

leaving you under Allah`s sight , care and protection...

Humbly, your sister no matter what:

Amat Allah

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[Who Am I?]

Thanks for the welcome, Amat Allah.

[Hamza Asadullah]

As salaam alaykum,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a single man struggling with some issues in my life at the moment. I was raised a Christian, but have recently become very curious about Islam, partly due to everything that has been going on in the Middle East and North Africa as well as my own life struggles. I started wondering to myself, what is it about their faith that inspires the people of these countries to do what they have done (and continue to do)? Why do they believe what they believe, and why do I believe what I believe?

I am a student of history, so I am vaguely familiar with the history of Islam and how it spread throughout the world, but being a Western Christian, I admit that I know little about Islam as a religion. I only know that I cannot rely on what I see and hear in the Western media since Islam has always had a bad reputation in the Western world (and particularly in the United States).

I took it upon myself to learn all I could about Islam and Muslims. I visited a local mosque and obtained a copy of the Qu’ran. I began to read through it in order to understand what I was looking for. I have also begun taking classes in Arabic and listening to sermons and lessons on the Qu’ran and on Islamic issues. I continue to be surprised and amazed by what I read and hear.

I have to admit that though I was raised a Christian, as an adult I drifted away from that faith. I was a hardcore atheist for several years and spent a lot of time angry and confused about a lot of things. Then one day I realized that life is too short to be angry all the time, and so I began to look for answers, which is what brings me here.

I am struggling to find my identity and my place in this world. All I know right now is that I am not happy with who I am and what I have become over the last 20 years or so. I spent a lot of my life being angry and feeling sorry for myself and hating everything. The time for that is gone, and now I find myself looking for enlightenment. I want to become something better than who I am right now. There has to be more to life than what I have. I have recently began to attend local churches in the area, but have yet to find one where I feel like I belong.

Forgive me if I got a little too serious for my first post, but I feel like I was led here, and I’m trying to figure out why.




Tl;dr: Christian man unhappy with his life and himself is trying to figure out which way is right for him…

A very warm welcome to you my friend. It is clear that Allah has put an inclination in your heart to go towards the truth and that is why you feel this way about Islam. Although you have some way to go i would suggest you continue reading up about Islam and the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

The following are free Islamic resources for you in your search for the truth:

What is Islam?

http://www.islamreligion.com/category/49/



Introduction to Islam

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p1.aspx#link2



Download the full Qur'an - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/free_...yusuf_ali2.pdf




The Benefits of Islam

http://www.islamreligion.com/categor...FUEa4Qod92u9Aw




How I Embraced Islam

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p1.aspx#link3



How to Convert to Islam and Become a Muslim

http://www.islamreligion.com/article...FUEb4QodwHxFCg



Islamic resources in different Foreign Languages


http://www.islamicbulletin.org/services/foreign.htm



The Holy Quran

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p1.aspx#link1




Quranic Science

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p2.aspx#link4




The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p2.aspx#link5




Companions of the Prophet (Sahabah)

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p3.aspx#link8




Men in Islam

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p3.aspx#link16




Women in Islam

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p3.aspx#link7




Islam: Beliefs and Teachings

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/free_..._teachings.pdf




Ramadan (Fasting)

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p3.aspx#link9




Prayer (Salat)

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p3.aspx#link10




Hajj (Pilgrimage)

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p4.aspx#link11




Zakat (Poor Due)

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p4.aspx#link12




Children

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p4.aspx#link13




Islamic Resources and Hadith

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi..._p2.aspx#link6




More wonderful Islamic resources:

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p4.aspx#link14

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/servi...p4.aspx#link15



If there is any help you need or any questions you have then please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you


If you have any specific questions that you would like to ask then please do not hesitate to do so and we will try our best to help.

[Who Am I?]

Thanks for all of those links, Hamza Asadullah. I will definitely check those out when I get home from work (only one more hour to go). These will definitely keep me occupied for a while and hopefully help in my search for the truth.

[al yunan]

Salam dear brother,

Welcome to I.B and I hope you find us good company.
What you describe has been the past of many members including myelf, so you will find plenty empathy.
I sometimes think of Islam in my life, as a Biblical type Ark rounding up all those stranded in the ocean of life.

May Allah S.W.T grant you peace of heart.
Masalam

[YM Usrah Umar]

i hope all works well for you and you realise the truth. if you have any questions...post them please

[جوري]

:welcome: aboard guy, we're happy to have you with us.. There are many many brothers and sisters here that can relate to your situation. I hope insha'Allah that they're able to help you, I think perhaps it would be really great given that have walked the road you're on now and came out of it with so much perspective..

peace

[MustafaMc]

I echo the words of my dear sister-in-Islam that you are most welcome here as a member of this virtual community. We are here to honestly answer what questions you may have and to invite you into our larger community as a brother-in-Islam.

I am an American convert to Islam and I continue to strive to submit my being to the worship of my Creator. I converted to Islam from Protestant Christianity in 1982, but I only have consistently practiced Islam since June 2001. I recently returned from pilgrimage where I was among hundreds of thousands of Muslims from all over the world. I felt completely at ease and accepted even among people whom I could barely communicate with.

I believe that there is one God, Allah, whom I see as the same Divine Being who spoke to Moses through the burning bush and to whom Jesus prayed to in the Garden of Gethsemane. I believe that Islam is the true religion that teaches proper belief about God and the Unseen World and that it teaches the proper way to worship God in the manner that He so desires. This brings us to our purpose in life and that is to worship God alone without any partners or equals.

I encourage you to continue on the path of searching and to keep to the fundamentals. God willing, you will be Divinely guided to the Straight Way that leads to Paradise of which the first step is the belief that there is only One God and that Muhammad was His last prophet and messenger.

[tigerkhan]

welcom to the forum bro. i hope u will enjoy ur stay here.

[Riana17]

As salaam alaykum, Allow me to introduce myself. I am a single man struggling with some issues in my life at the moment....... Christian man unhappy with his life and himself is trying to figure out which way is right for him…

Salam brother, may Allah bless you with peace in your heart

I read all your post and I understand where you coming from, most of Christians (including me before) were claiming they are Christians but infact we were atheist lol? why, coz I never really visited churches and I have no idea what is Christian all about.

I tried to read bible but it didnt interest me. Anyhow to cut the story, when I am studying Islam "i appreciated Christianity and its teaching thaN before", well becoz i got to compare the two. I got interest in the bible so to confirm which one is the word of THE REAL CREATOR

BUT only Islam makes sense and made me follow it (take note, I am very very hard headed person & not easy to influence me)

In top of all, all religion teaches humankind to be good to others, good deeds etc. But why is Islam exceptional from all of the religion? bcoz ISLAM clears everything, guides in every way, and you will find all the answers in whatever you have, I mean when I say "WHATEVER- it means name it all" ...

These are some of major observations I finally realized.
1. There is Only ONE GOD - same in Christian (infact it is the 1st four out of 10 commandments)
2. Albert Einstein said religion without science is blind - the proven Science in Quran are countless & inventions were more than 1000s including 1st hospital, medicine, camera etc
thats why, it says it is easier for atheist or scientist to blv that God exist
3. Too many XXX thing in the bible which is not at all attributable to the word of Allah & so forth

I pray to Allah that He will guide you bcoz when you finally find peace in your heart and confidence of having a true faith is the best thing we can achieve in this life (i feel deeply humble, i hope I can make you feel what I felt THE Moment i converted to Islam
--- to understand what I mean bcoz I am not a good writer)

PLS continue to discover ISLAM, being Muslim is not in the amount of knowledge you will gain, or the people support & advises but ITS WITH ALLAH's permission ALONE.





PS: for all Christian brothers & sisters, forgive me but I didnt mean to offend anyone, I am just realistic person & I personally know too many Christian with cases like me (before), when I mean most I didnt meant all.

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

Wa Alaaykum As'salaam Just a Guy..

Welcome to the forum!

I hope you enjoy your stay here and also find it beneficial insha'Allaah..

It is great to know that you are wanting to find your way, you are in my Prayers/Du'aa..

Since you are struggling to find your identity, hope you find your identity, i would say you should also find out about what Jesus (pbuh) taught also, what was his message, what he did in his lifetime to thank God etc..

please do feel free to ask any questions and hope that you find the right path.

[Who Am I?]

Thanks to all for your kind greetings. It is good to know that I am not alone in my struggle, because it feels like I am a lot of the time.

[naquadir]

A very warm welcome Brother. The struggle to find the truth, peace and happiness is all around us, and it is an ongoing process even for someone who is already a Muslim. And according to my experience, purely from my experience, it is achieved by the constant communication with God. There are two components of creation of Human Being, Body and Soul. As Body is created purely of earthly elements it gets satisfied by the things present on the earth. But the Soul is by the Divine will so for its satsfaction one has to constantly turned to God. I sincerely hope and Pray to Allah that He guides you to Islam so that you can achieve total happiness from both body and soul perspective Inshallah.

Nasir

[brmm]

Welcome in on board, If u like to see the Muslim culture, I would suggest for u a book and a movie.
The book name is The Story of the Prophets. You can read the stories of all the prophet PBUT from Adam to Mohammed. The first time I read it many years ago I wished to finish it in the same day. It is a very famous book and unique.
You can find it in the link below:
amazon.com/Stories-Prophets-Hafiz-Ibn-Kathir/dp/9960892263

And the movie called "The Message". This movie made in 1976 in Libya. Hollywood did not accept to make it because it was about Islam. It was financed by Muamar Al kadafi. The movie it self have been produced 2 times in the same time, once with Arabic actors, and once with English speaking actors in the same places. The movie is top with acting, filming, directorial, Music. Even though we do not believe in movies but this movie good a very good introduction about Islam in General.

amazon.com/Message-30th-Anniversary-Anthony-Quinn/dp/B000AQ6A4E/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Welcome again.

BRMM

[brmm]

:welcome: with us again.

[Riana17]

I am a student of history, so I am vaguely familiar with the history of Islam and how it spread throughout the world, but being a Western Christian, I admit that I know little about Islam as a religion. I only know that I cannot rely on what I see and hear in the Western media since Islam has always had a bad reputation in the Western world (and particularly in the United States).

Salam
I watched one episode of TYT "TheYoungTurks" in Youtube, and this guy made sense when he tells "Oh pls dont ever speak about terrorism in Islam..." and he continue to speak about what Jews & Christians did before which is beyond imagination, top of that is the killing of Jesus & other prophets.

He made sense
Subhanallah

[Who Am I?]

Salam
I watched one episode of TYT "TheYoungTurks" in Youtube, and this guy made sense when he tells "Oh pls dont ever speak about terrorism in Islam..." and he continue to speak about what Jews & Christians did before which is beyond imagination, top of that is the killing of Jesus & other prophets.

He made sense
Subhanallah

Yes, exactly. The Christians did some truly horrible things in the Middle Ages, and the Jews killed Jesus as you said. I think it's the old human nature thing where we fear things we don't understand. I know Islam is a misunderstood religion in the West and is often quickly demonized by those who don't know much about it.

I am trying to learn all I can about it and so far it's been an interesting journey. I think I'm going to start taking some classes at the local masjid on weekends in addition to what I read and view online.