Greetings/Hello/Salams/Yo

[theStig]

Salam Alaikum - everyone,

This is my first post on this forum. A little about me: I am a human and a male specie, but firstly a Muslim. I'm 23 years old. I live near Washington DC, USA. I am here to improve my understanding, philosophy, and practice as it relates to my beautiful Deen - a Deen I consider to be an inseparable entity to my soul. I believe that everyone and everything on this earth is a 'Muslim' as it obeys the laws and will of Allah (SWT) whether they know it or they don't. I consider Allah to be that source of everything we know, have, feel, see, etc. He is the single entity which is responsible for everything – all the knowledge, experience, ability, possessions, comes through him. He is the closest thing to me and has always been there for me; it may sound silly to some ears, but I consider him to be my best friend. Think about it: he is ALWAYS there and you can feel his presence as you live every moment of your life - whenever you talk, pray, or plea, he is there to listen. His presence and attention is something I cherish.

I try to keep my Islamic ideology simple. Islam wasn't meant to complicate our lives and create unnecessary obstructions. It came to simplify and clarify the twisted nature of life. My reason for being here is to gain enough knowledge so that eventually I can create my own simple philosophy - my own Islam. I believe that Islam is different from person to person. That's why I don't think that it's a competition between each other - but rather a competition with one’s own self. Islam is about the struggle of being the best you can be – not about being better than everyone else.

So my goal is to start my understanding from the one entity, Allah, and go on an elaborate journey from there in an organized fashion. For example, I believe in Allah, but what’s next? Prayer 5 times a day? Fasting? Ok, what else? Knowledge of Islamic history? The Sahaba’s? Knowledge of Hadees? Etc. etc. I could go on and on with regards to all the different areas of Islam. It’s overwhelming. But I want to master it. I don’t want to become a scholar per say, but I do want to be confident in my knowledge of ‘my favourite game’ - Islam. I want to know the ins and outs, practices, rituals, Islamic psychology, belief, way of life, etc. It will rapidly get very detailed and messy, but there has to be a way to make everything tick, connect, and work like a well oiled machine. That ‘machine’ will eventually become the engine of my Iman.
I am here to reengineer, rethink, and reinvent my Islamic machinery so that I can be an even better Muslim than I am now.

This is just a little of what came to my head in the last few minutes when I thought about what Islam meant to me. I am sure I said some things up there that are subject to some criticism and correction. That’s fine - feel free to correct me. Please advise me on how I could begin on some of my goals above.

Thanks for having me – Jazakullah Khair

[theStig]

And I meant, "first post on this forum.. in a while". I joined a long time ago but never stuck around.

[Just_A_Girl13]

Assalam alaikum brother,

We are glad to have you back :) I hope you find your time here beneficial.

Peace and blessings be with you

[Who Am I?]

Rewelcome, brother.

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[Starrynight]

Hello :) I hope to hear more about your philosophy

[Zafran]

salaam

welcome

peace

[aadil77]

Wsalam

so top gears quite popular in america then?

[theStig]

Definitely. I think it's quite popular everywhere - you can thank the internet 'industry' for that. Though, I'm an exception because I grew up watching BBC in Pakistan and got hooked to Top Gear back in the 90s.

[theStig]

So is this mainly a UK board?

[Ramadhan]

:sl:

Hi there! *wave*

I'm from Indonesia :)

[Who Am I?]

USA'rican Muslim here.

[Just_A_Girl13]

I'm from the US, too :)

[Bintulislam]

This is just a little of what came to my head in the last few minutes when I thought about what Islam meant to me. I am sure I said some things up there that are subject to some criticism and correction. That’s fine - feel free to correct me. Please advise me on how I could begin on some of my goals above.

Thanks for having me – Jazakullah Khair

Wa Alykum As Salaam Brother and Welcome back here!

Problem: I think its JazakAllah Khair/Kherun not Jazakullah...I'm not sure but never heard any one say 'Jazakullah'.Also Br,you must not get offended.Thing is that the Arabic words change their meaning with the slight change in zair,zabar or paish.So I thought I'd let you know and if its correct than you should let me know that.

[theStig]

Wa Alykum As Salaam Brother and Welcome back here!

Problem: I think its JazakAllah Khair/Kherun not Jazakullah...I'm not sure but never heard any one say 'Jazakullah'.Also Br,you must not get offended.Thing is that the Arabic words change their meaning with the slight change in zair,zabar or paish.So I thought I'd let you know and if its correct than you should let me know that.

Not offended at all. But grateful. Thanks for pointing that out.

[peace_maker]

Walaikum Salam
:welcome: back to the forums :thankyou:

[SFatima]

welcome to the forums, hope you find beneficial.: )

hmm but in order to master the game of knowledge of Islam, we first have to not think of it as game. I know what you mean when you say game, but islam is such a huge institution that no-one is able to master it All and be at the top of it, but yes you can be good at one specific aspect of its branch of knowledge and for that one has to attend a yearly or 2 yearly religious school at least to get to the basics of islam. If you dont get to the basics of the word structuring of the Quran sharif, and the vast meanings they imply, you wont be able to understand the higher and deeper aspects of it. Just a suggestion, and best of luck : )

[SFatima]

And i guess its not too much, if we can spend 16, 18, 22 years of our precious lives in obtaining worldly education, what is one year for studying the word of Allah swt , with a good scholar and a proper methodology, it can only help one greatly . InshAllah.

[Muhammad]

Assalaamu Alaykum brother,

Welcome to the forum and Jazakallaahu khayran for sharing your thoughts.I thought I'd comment on one thing you said:

My reason for being here is to gain enough knowledge so that eventually I can create my own simple philosophy - my own Islam. I believe that Islam is different from person to person. That's why I don't think that it's a competition between each other - but rather a competition with one’s own self. Islam is about the struggle of being the best you can be – not about being better than everyone else.

It's really good that you wish to improve your knowledge and understanding of Islam. This should be the goal of all of us. But the purpose behind seeking knowledge about Islam is to act on it, not 'create' a new version of Islam. This is very important because Allaah (swt) has chosen this beautiful religion for us and sent the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam) to teach us how it should be practised. We must therefore follow this guidance given to us as closely as possible. This means that all Muslims turn to the Qur'an and Sunnah as their reference point, and it is not for us to choose any other way of practising it.

Insha'Allaah through seeking knowledge of Islam, it will become much clearer to you what is required of you and how to become the best Muslim you can be. Begin your journey by having a sincere intention to seek the pleasure of Allaah (swt). We always have to remind ourselves that it isn't about gaining knowledge for the sake of it, but rather to act on it and please Allaah (swt). Then prioritise and start with the basics and fundamentals, like the 5 pillars and so on. May Allaah (swt) increase you in guidance and make your journey easy for you, Aameen. :)