took my shahada

[serena77]

Salaams all
I thought i had posted a thread last weekend that i had done this, apparently not. Last Saturday I did go ahead and take my shahada. I hate how long i put it off, but then i got pretty sick ... cold + bronchitis and thats probably why i thought i had posted it but hadn't. I have coughed my head off for the majority of the week but am finally starting to get well. I"m really happy that i did it, and it was by far the right move.

Serena

[syed1]

Mashallah, congratulations

[Abz2000]

God Is Great, may Allah keep us all guided on the right path and make us a source of guidance for each other,
peace sis

[جوري]

Allah Akbar.. may he make you steadfast insha'Allah

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[Hamza Asadullah]

Salaams all
I thought i had posted a thread last weekend that i had done this, apparently not. Last Saturday I did go ahead and take my shahada. I hate how long i put it off, but then i got pretty sick ... cold + bronchitis and thats probably why i thought i had posted it but hadn't. I have coughed my head off for the majority of the week but am finally starting to get well. I"m really happy that i did it, and it was by far the right move.

Serena

Mashallah I am very hppy for you my dear sister. A friend of mine who reverted explained that when one reverts it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of the shoulders. Please fel free to ask whatever questions you have for we are here for you as your brothers and sisters in Islam.

[Ramadhan]

:sl:

alhamdulillaah!

May Allah SWT keep you guided on the straight path, give you strength, give you the best of this world and hereafter. ameen
Please make du'a for all of us too.

[Scimitar]

WOW, this just makes my heart smile everytime someone new takes their shahada, masha-Allah.

Pray for us to keep to the deen, and never let it go... Ameen.

Bro Scimi

[Aprender]

Allahu Akbar!

I remember before I joined this forum I used to lurk and read your posts here. Found myself in a similar situation and then I eventually took my shahada too! Been a part of the deen for some months now!

May Allah strengthen your heart, grant you good health and give you the courage that you need to be successful in this life and the hereafter. Ameeen

I am happy to know that we have a new precious sister here with us. Alhamdulillah. :)

[Salahudeen]

Welcome to Islam my sister, may Allah all ways guide your heart and keep you on the path of goodness and righteousness. Stay strong and be aware of Satan because he does not like it at all when someone comes to the truth so he will try his best to make you go back to your old life with evil whispers. But all ways remember that you're upon the truth, and many people are with you upon this truth.

[Snowflake]

Allahu akbar! Al hamdulillah. I'm so happy for you sis. May Allah's love mercy and forgiveness be with you always and may He keep you rightly guided. Ameen Ya Rabbil alameen. :statisfie


Make this dua for yourself frequently insha Allah, ukhti..

Whenever anyone accepted Islam, the Prophet (SAW) used to teach him how to pray then he would instruct him to invoke Allah with the following words:

Allaahummaghfir lee, warhamnee, wahdinee, wa 'aafinee warzuqnee. O Allah forgive me, and have mercy on me and guide me and give me good health and provide for me. Reference: Muslim 4/2073, and in one of Muslim's reports there is the addition: 'For these words combine [the goodness of] this world and the next.' :amin:

[Tilmeez]

Subhanallah! Subhanallah!

:w:
Congratulations sister may Allah SWT accept you and keep you firm on the guidance.
Do remember us all in your du'as.

[Al-Mufarridun]

:sl:

Allah is Greatest. It is a wonderful news. Masha'Allah.

May Allah swt keep your heart firm on the Straight Path! Ameen

[Haya emaan]

AllahuAkber!
welcome sister to the path of truth!

May Allah strengthen your iman. ameen

[Muslim Woman]

:sl:


:statisfie:statisfie:statisfie:statisfie:statisfie :statisfie:statisfie

Oh I am jealous sis. U are now like a sinless angel , MashaAllah.

may Allah bless u sis .

[Riana17]

Reading this news makes us inspired, alhamdollellah you made my day...

Mashallah!!!
I am speechless, now you have the most amazing gift from our Creator, may Allah love you and guide you as well as all your loved ones, forever. Ameeeen

[Insaanah]

Assalaamu alaikum sister Serena,

All praise be to Allah who guided you, and welcome back home to Islam.

This is wonderful news indeed. May Allah make things easy for you and keep you steadfast, ameen.

And ameen to all the above beautiful du'as.

Peace.

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

As'Salaam Alaaykum

Alhamdulilaahi rabbil alameen..Allaahu Akbar!

May Allaah SWT increase you in beautiful happiness during your journey of seeking knowledge of the complete way of life he Allaah SWT has set for you and strenghten you in emaan, ameen

Aameen to all du'aa.

Please do keep us all in your prayers.. A fresh start of life!

[marwen]

MashaAllah sister ! may Allah bless you and keep you steadfast.

[serena77]

jakazallah khair to all!!
of course everyone here will remain in my dua's.. i'm fairly certain Allah kept this bug from turning into what everyone else at work has had and for that i am so grateful. I do know how blessed I am.. I really do. I wish my family would at some point be so blessed as well and i can do little other, other than pray for that.
Serena

[peace_maker]

Allahu Akbar!! Mashaallah! Indeed, to whom Allah guides, none can mislead them. I'm very happy for you, sister. May Allah grant you success in this life and the hereafter. May Allah keep you steadfast in your faith. Aaaameen! :)

[~Raindrop~]

Assalamualaykum sister

Alhamdulillah! :statisfie
Welcome to Islam and the Ummah, may Allah swt keep you steadfast on the Straight Path.
Ameen thumma Ameen to all the above duas.

Please keep all of us in your duas :)

[Banu_Hashim]

Wa 'alaikum asalaam Serena!

Congratulations on entering Islam as our sister! Allahu Akbar! Make sure you keep with a good group of Muslims and learn the basics of praying etc. and you'll be fine in shaa Allah! :) May Allah keep you on the straight path, ameen!

Fee Amaanillah.

[Afifa]

Mashallah wonderfull news :D.
Do remember us in your duas and stay steadfast on this path..The best is yet to come :)

[serena77]

quote***Wa 'alaikum asalaam Serena!

Congratulations on entering Islam as our sister! Allahu Akbar! Make sure you keep with a good group of Muslims and learn the basics of praying etc. and you'll be fine in shaa Allah! :) May Allah keep you on the straight path, ameen!

Fee Amaanillah.**** End quote

salaams brother. thank you . I wish there was a local group of muslims especially muslimahs ... sadly as it is, there are none local so all my learning and friends will have to be online. That said, I'm thankful Allah has blessed me w/ the resources that he has.
Fi amani allah
Serena

[Banu_Hashim]

quote***Wa 'alaikum asalaam Serena!

Congratulations on entering Islam as our sister! Allahu Akbar! Make sure you keep with a good group of Muslims and learn the basics of praying etc. and you'll be fine in shaa Allah! :) May Allah keep you on the straight path, ameen!

Fee Amaanillah.**** End quote

salaams brother. thank you . I wish there was a local group of muslims especially muslimahs ... sadly as it is, there are none local so all my learning and friends will have to be online. That said, I'm thankful Allah has blessed me w/ the resources that he has.
Fi amani allah
Serena

Ahhh, OK. No problem inshaAllah.

www.islaam.net is a good, trustworthy website (you have to skip past the poster advertisement on the homepage, by clicking on the link at the top) for knowledge. Although, I'm sure you've been researching a lot yourself. Just make sure you're getting authentic information. Make sure you check out the "Islamic Belief" section as this is essentially the foundation of Islam.

Trustworthy books are your best bet. This book (this is volume I, there's volume II as well) is very good. I use it myself.

Also, I'm sure the sisters here on the forum would be more than willing to contact you by private message and get in contact with you by skype or whatever, just so you get some Muslimah interaction and they can better advise you with certain stuff!

And... yeah... that's it really. Learn the basics (salaah etc.) and if you have any more question, ask here and someone will answer you inshaAllah! :)

Fee Amaanillah.

[serena77]

Salaams brother Jakazallah khair for the link. I do try and do what i can as far as research on my own, but that is a link i didnt have ..
thanks for the book links to ... I love to read and research :)

I just loaded up the link and there's even a tv channel associated w/ it. even more wonderful... something i can listen to when i'm not around myparents, whim i do live w/ but i have my own floor in a way in the house :) May Allah (swt) reward you for helping me w/ this.
Serena

[Galaxy]

Masha Allah, your destination is Jannah insha Allah:statisfie

[serena77]

jakazallah khair
thank you sister. I really do appreciate that. i really hope Allah (swt) rewards those who have been so welcoming to me and others... i know how much it has meant to me and i would believe it means as much to them.
Serena

[Asiyah3]

Welcome back to Islam, our dear sister. :) The chosen religion into which every child is born into, the path of all prophets, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them), the truth to worship our Creator alone and serve mankind and do good deeds, and leave wrongful acts.

SubhaanAllah!! May Allah keep you steadfast.

[YusufNoor]

jakazallah khair to all!!
of course everyone here will remain in my dua's.. i'm fairly certain Allah kept this bug from turning into what everyone else at work has had and for that i am so grateful. I do know how blessed I am.. I really do. I wish my family would at some point be so blessed as well and i can do little other, other than pray for that.
Serena

:sl:

well it's about time! ;D just kidding, Sister.

try to focus on the Beauty of Islam and the Mercy of Allah. remember how easy it is to earn Reward from Allah. Patience is an act of Worship. being all alone means that you will probably be "in a few pickles" here and there. each and every one of these episodes will be a gift from Allah that give you an opportunity to gain Blessings from Him. Mufti Menk has this great lecture here:

http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Vol1.html#Part4

a quick google listed some references here:

http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Vol1.html#Part4

[i didn't examine the whole website, just giving you those quotes to ponder.]

try to learn the Seerah as it helps to understand the "rhyme and reason" of so many things. remember that for most of the 1st ten years of Islam there was very little Shariah [don't associate partners with Allah, pray twice a day- 5 times after the Night Journey, don't kill your newborn daughters, and remain steadfast] , most of the short Surahs in the Qur'an were revealed then. don't overburden yourself. when you are familiar with the Seerah, explaining things to others can be easier. an example might be when someone [esp in Bible belt areas] tries to persuade you that Islam is a bit backward and sever, then you can remind them that we are taught that Forgiveness is paramount in Islam:

7:199 Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e. don't punish them).

15:85 And We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with truth, and the Hour is surely coming, so overlook (O Muhammad SAW), their faults with gracious forgiveness.

so much of what Christians believe [the correct stuff] is also part of Islam that wisely answering questions can be of great benefit. another great quote is one of the 40 Hadeeth in Imam An Nawawi:

HADITH 13
On the authority of Anas bin Malik, the servant of the messenger of Allah, that the prophet said :

"None of you [truely] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."

related by Bukhari and Muslim

another great Hadeeth that can avoid dispute:

HADITH 15
Abu Hurairah narrated that the messenger of Allah said :

"Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest."

related by Bukhari and Muslim

40 Hadeeth:

http://www.40hadith.com/40hadith_en.htm

Br Bashar Shala is an elegant speaker and his audio of Seerah lectures can change your world:

http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/me...wi%20%28saw%29

http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/me...t%20%28pbuh%29

there is also history on the site, and my favorite of lectures are these, especially the Man of the 2 Gardens:

http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/me..._Surah_Al-Kahf

a misconception Christians will toss at you is, "you only pray 5 times a day? huh, i pray whenever i want to!" check out this great lecture by Muft Menk:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...26761126106509

explaining the 1st half of Al Fatihah surprises many a evangelical:

Bismi Allahi arrahmani arraheem

we begin EVERYTHING asking for Allah's Mercy!

so who is this Allah? some moon god?

Alhamdulillahi rabbiil AAalameen

ALL TRUE heartfelt Thanks and Praise is to to the ONLY One Worthy of ALL Worship, that is, the Creature, Sustainer, Cherisher, Nurturer, Healer of ALL of Creation.

Arrahmani arraheem

the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful (we focus on Allah's Mercy, not His Anger, ie, a Loving God)

Maliki Yawmid Din

the One who i will face on Judgment Day, THAT is who we worship!

Iyya k'nabudu wa Iyya k'nestaeen

this in nutshell is Islam, 5 powerful words: You [Allah] Alone we worship, and [from] You [Allah] Alone we seek benefit.

Mufti Menl has many heartwarming lectures here:

http://www.muftimenk.co.za/Downloads.html

the bottom Tafseer one is Reasons of Revelation:

http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Tafseer2005.html. it's awesome to hear and great for explaining things to others.

May Allah guide you and yours and may He assist you every step of the way!

:wa:

[Ansariyah]

SubahanaAllah, What a beautiful news. I have been away and now I see this amazing news...Allahu Akbar.

Welcome back home Sister serena.♥

:)Hugs!

[serena77]

yes.. i agree, while i know you were joking brother, it was about time. No arguments here. i do hate i can't share w/ friends and family.. or my coworkers or live as openly as i'd like.... but i'm young and at some point inshallah the circumstances will be different. Until then, i bide my time and be thankful for the path i have chosen.
thanks for the links brother and thanks to everyone who has made me feel so welcome in this forum and to islam in general. May Allah ( swt) reward you -
serena

[IslamicRevival]

Amazing. Welcome to Islam :)

[YusufNoor]

yes.. i agree, while i know you were joking brother, it was about time. No arguments here.

i was just remembering your first posts, so i was just teasing you.

i do hate i can't share w/ friends and family.. or my coworkers or live as openly as i'd like.... but i'm young and at some point inshallah the circumstances will be different. Until then, i bide my time and be thankful for the path i have chosen.
thanks for the links brother and thanks to everyone who has made me feel so welcome in this forum and to islam in general. May Allah ( swt) reward you -
serena

:sl:

did you ever see one of those picture where it's actually 2 pictures? as Muslims, we tend to miss out on the full picture. of course you can share your new faith with EVERYBODY? how? by being the VERY BEST person that you can be! set an example. love others, help others, be kind to others and do it all with a smile on your face! work hard at everything that you do. i forget where i heard it, but the mission of Rasulullah was explained as, "he came to perfect good manners, enjoin good and forbid evil."

set good examples. at my last job, i made all of the schedules for the drivers, was a driver myself and helped the dispatcher [who had a stroke] to do the job everyday. the majority of the folks at the parent company that we work for know me and consider me one of the best that there is at what i do. when the owner of the small company that i worked for decided to call it quits, he continued to let me use the company vehicle, phone and paid my insurance until i found a new job! i was the only Muslim at that company, yet the owner could go out of time anytime that he wanted because me and his brother would take care of day to day business. his brother was the one who had the stroke and he relied on me to help him with his job.

now i have always been "different" and rather non-conformist [at one job at one of the busiest and most recognizable landmarks in the country, once they got used to me i trained the chefs at night time. the Union that represented us sucked big time, so i took part in negotiations every 3 years. the Union viewed me as a threat when i got elected to the executive board, so they offered me a job and then gave me close to 30% of the membership to take care of even though there were 9 other reps. they gave me the largest property which had members who loathed the Union and who pretty much got screwed by them in the recent negotiations. they did this intending to fire me when those folks complained about me. of course, i didn't realize that at the time. when i saw how much these folks had suffered because of the Union i was disgusted. i self taught myself on how to be a Union Rep. within a year i had fired alot of the shop stewards that were self-serving and learned about the hotel biz. i fired the Union Attorney from working on my cases, even though he, for a short time worked for all of the others at the Union. he was ticked off when it happened and he came into my office and told me that i couldn't do it because he had purposely written contract language that only he knew what meant. i told him that i didn't care and that i would rather lose a few cases that enable him to misrepresent my members. i only had 1 year of Vocational College and everyone i was working with had Degrees, yet soon i was like David slaying Goliath. that large hotel had an HR guy who was fearless in messing with people and he came to fear me! he lost his job because of me after i won a sweet victory at an arbitration. at my first contract negotiations, the hotel sent their lawyer to me to tell me how astonished they were that i convinced the very best employees at the hotel to represent everyone on the committee. in my second and last negotiations with them, i was fighting for some issues that dealt with treating the room attendants with respect. they tried to hold out and even begged the Union President to step in and agree to a subpar deal. he did twice, but in defiance of him, we voted the contact down twice and after a few sessions with Federal Mediators we got to a deal the members could accept. one of the room attendants, who was the most vocal about how much the Union was corrupt (she scared the daylights out of me the 1st time i met her. that was 2 weeks before i became their rep. i told her on my first day as her rep that i might be the most uneducated and unsophisticated guy she ever met, BUT she would soon understand that i work for HER!, turned to another maid and said just loud enough for me to hear, "don't tell Sambuca(me), but this is the best contract we EVER got!" that was six years of work, but that little gesture for Keh, the maid, was one of the happiest moments of my life. within 6 months after that i forced out the President and the Secretary-Treasurer, along with their crooked little adviser on charges on charges of fraud with the International. the International saw me as a threat too and fired me by years end. but that was OK. the job was killing me because i put so much of myself into it.]

at my new job, the owner was flabbergasted when he met me. he thought i could secure his relations with the parent company. he's a horrible boss and we fought often in the beginning. he wanted to fire me one day, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. he was THAT mad at me, but he had to admit [to me], "i like your business." what he meant was that, not only do i save his butt with the parent company, i also excel at what i do! my job is helping people, not just driving. i serve on a safety co-op with the parent company and at the last meeting we broke into different groups. in mine was the guy who answers customer complaints and the number 2 guy in the company. the number 2 guy just came [originally] to lord over the number 3 person, throw his wait around, feel good and take off. within a matter of moments, he totally caught on that i had concepts and perceptions that were beyond anything he ever thought of. the next day, memos went out to all of the companies informing them that all aspects of how they dealt with their contracts would be inspected and graded. i did most of the work for my company, and even helped get 2 of our drivers reinstated. one of the particular aspects that the parent company wanted to see was how dispatchers assist the drivers and the clients. [most don't, which is WHY they were checking.] my boss usually dispatches. he's gotten better, but he sees everything from a different perspective. i have a view that encompasses satisfying EVERYONE, from the clients, to the drivers and both the parent company and the smaller companies. si i was the boss' choice to dispatch on the day of inspection. i stopped by the office at the end of my shift and did the scheduling for the next day. [ i did a ton of extra work leading up to this.] the number 3 person from the parent company was one of the inspectors. my boss was anxious to show her how we scheduled group rides. [the boss went on Hajj this year, so a week before that i started making the schedule as i was going to do it while he was gone. he insisted that i add my little note showing what the group rides were like i did at my previous job. ]now the group rides were the domain of the number 3 person. she was amazed at my work and asked for a copy of the schedule to take with her to show others. we were a company near the brink of extinction because of employees mistakes yet we passed that inspection with flying colors. [ DAY the boss came back to work after Hajj, one employee looked at his schedule and almost cried it was so bad, "please, let Sam make the schedule!"

the point i want to convince you of is that 1 person CAN make a difference. i wasn't a Muslim when i was at the Union gig, but i saw the assistance of God in everything i was able to accomplish. many was the day when i would be just outside the hotel and someone would see me and their child or grandkid would run over and tell what happened [something like: mom had cancer. she missed 3 months of work. she lost her seniority and has little or no schedule now] thanks to a guy in Oregon, i was an EXPERT on FMLA. and i do mean expert. after the initial rage of hearing what happened, a nice little grin would appear on my face, "well, let's go fix that, shall we?" the HR's face would drop when they see me accompany the employee. within 5 minutes, the employee would be reinstated, full seniority back and a check would be cut for missing wages. Starwood Corporation fought a few of my ideas at first, but eventually they conceded, "if Sam says it's FMLA, it's FMLA." MY opinion was seen as gospel for a world wide corporation, who don't forget was "the other side". that CLEARLY wasn't MY doing!

from the day you said your Shahada, Allah became AR Rahim to you as well as AR Rahman. you now have the ability to spread goodness where ever you go and in whatever you do. DO THAT, and you will be spreading Islam. you will feel better AND you get rewarded. when you rely on the Hope of Allah, you rely on the VERY BEST!

May Allah continue to guide you and guide us all, and may He make it easy on you and us all! Ameen!

:wa:

Big Brother

[serena77]

chuckle * brother Yusuf
I had to laugh, yea i know you were picking... is cool.. what you said does make a lot of sense... and i try to do that, especially w/ my job which is at a call center and a lot of the people that call in are not in a good mood... to put it mildly... so i try to be the best person i can especially there, and especially at home....
what you wrote was very well said Jakazallah khair
serena

[MustafaMc]

Assalamu alaikum, welcome to Islam, Allahu akbar. Insha'Allah, you will learn quickly and easily and your faith will continue to grow.

[- Qatada -]

asalaamu alaykum (peace be upon you) sister serena.


What made you take the jump? You were really hesitant before..

[serena77]

salaams
i was really hesitant. I won't deny that. ... as far as what.... i don't entirely know that there was one thing that flipped the switch. the factors that made me hesitant are still factors, but i decided i couldn't just always wait on those to go away. ... for many its like waiting until you are ready to have a child. If everyone wanted, the population of the earth would be a whole lot smaller. it was however, still the best decision i could have made - for mothers....probably much the same way.
Serena

[Amat Allah]

Assalaamu Alikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh

I just saw this cause I was away from the forum and I really don`t know what to say; but I am posting ya this while crying from happiness, I just can`t hold my tears from falling; you don`t know how much I wanted ya to be happy; to return to Allah and be His slave and servant...I just can`t explaine how much happy I am now and thankful to Allah at this moment...

Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar

welcome to Allah`s religion O dear sister welcome O honey always and forever, May Allah love you, Be pleased with ya and guide your way always and forever till you enter the highest level of the Paradise without being reckoning and the whole Ummah too...Ameeeeeeeeeeeen

Now enevr give up hope in Allah no matter what you may face, may Allah Be with ya Ameeeeeeeeeen

happy happy happy laa ilaha illa Allah and Allahu Akbar...

[sis muslimah]

mashallah sis may Alah (swt) keep you firm on the deen ... ameen

[alhamdulilaah]

Wa alaikum as salam,

to Islam,


May Allah give you His love, and love of those who love Him, and deed that would get His love, ameen.

Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism)
and he is a Muhsin (good-doer i.e. performs good deeds totally for Allah's sake only without any show off or to gain praise or fame,
etc., and in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger Muhammad Peace be upon him ) then his reward is with his Lord (Allah),
on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) Ayah 112

And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism);
and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer - see V.2:112). And follows the religion of
Ibrahim (Abraham) Hanifa (Islamic Monotheism - to worship none but Allah Alone). Surah An-Nisa' (The Women) surah no.4 :ayah 125

And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good - then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold.
And to Allah will be the outcome of [all] matters.Surat Luqmān 31 ayah 22

There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path.
Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold
that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow), Ayah 256

[serena77]

salaams
jakazallah khair to those who have replied lately w/ such wonderful kind posts. I do appreciate it. May everyone have a good weekend and a great week and may Allah (swt) guide us all
Serena

[Aishath]

Asalaamu alaykum,

I only just saw this thread but Masha Allah, I'm so happy for you. May Allah (swt) keep guiding you and give you the best of eeman and grant you Jannah.

[MustafaMc]

Wa alaikum as salam,

May Allah give you His love, and love of those who love Him, and deed that would get His love, ameen.

Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin (good-doer i.e. performs good deeds totally for Allah's sake only without any show off or to gain praise or fame, etc., and in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger Muhammad Peace be upon him ) then his reward is with his Lord (Allah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) Ayah 112

You make a good point here that in Islam those who combine faith with good deeds are promised Paradise over and over again in the Quran such as in Those who believe and do good works, them verily We shall house in lofty dwellings of the Garden underneath which rivers flow. There they will dwell secure. How sweet the reward of the toilers, who persevere, and put their trust in their Lord! Quran 29:58-59. We should strive to constantly improve ourselves and to purify our hearts and intentions.

This concept is reflected in the Bible as illustrated in James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? I believe that the actual disciples and early followers of Jesus understood this very well as they continued to follow the Judaic Law. The book of Galatians illustrates a struggle between Paul and those, such as the disciples, who preached a different 'gospel' than what he preached. Galatians 2:16 shows this was a struggle between 'faith in Jesus' and 'works of the Law'.

We Muslims do not rely upon our good deeds for our salvation because we know we can't earn our way into Heaven as we are incapable of judging our own hearts and innermost intentions, nor do we know the condition of our faith at our death. Ultimately, we rely upon the mercy of Allah (swt), but should we not compete in being the best followers of Muhammad (saaws) that we can be?

[Periwinkle18]

Assalam o alikum

MashaALLAh im soooo happy for u sis :) may ALLAH bless you and make u focused on the right path and may He help you throughout ur life ameen.

[Silent Peace]

Masha'Allah sis, May Allah(Swt) keep you on right path and grant you Jannah. May Allah(Swt) guide your loved ones. Ameen.

[serena77]

brother - jakazallah khair
i wish allah (swt) would guide my parents in that direction. so far not any luck on that... I try very hard to pray in that direction.... but as they are staunch atheists... its hard to be optimistic.
Serena

[Abu Taj al Deen]

Salaams all
I thought i had posted a thread last weekend that i had done this, apparently not. Last Saturday I did go ahead and take my shahada. I hate how long i put it off, but then i got pretty sick ... cold + bronchitis and thats probably why i thought i had posted it but hadn't. I have coughed my head off for the majority of the week but am finally starting to get well. I"m really happy that i did it, and it was by far the right move.

Serena

Masha'Allah sister Serena!
May Allah (swt) continue to guide and protect you. Ameen.

[~ Sabr ~]

:salamext:

Welcome to Islam dear sis!

[Abdullahi E]

Mashallah may Allah swt bless u and give u istiqama [steadfast ] ameen ameen

[elina]

Mash'Allah sister.. May Allah (swt) guide you and bless you Ameen

[serena77]

thank you all.... I only wish there was a community near me ... and if there were ( which probably won't happen in the short term ) that they were all as welcoming and encouraging and kind as you have been.
Serena

[YusufNoor]

As Salaamu Alaykum,

here are some lectures that should be of great benefit to you, in sha'a Allah. Mufti Menk is an awesome speaker, his Qur'aan recitation is phenomenal and his English is perfect and his delivery style is very dynamic and charismatic.

From the Ramadaan 1432 / 2011 after taraweeh lectures delivered at Majid Zeenatul Islam in Cape Town - South Africa.

The theme of these lectures is: Stories Of The Prophets (Qasas Ul Ambiya)

Mufti Menk has based these lectures on the prophets (peace be upon them) that appear in the Qur'aan and spoken at length about them.
This is a much needed and basic resource for anyone wanting to know more about the lives of the prophets and the challenges that they faced and the messages they had for mankind. In particular, the oneness of the Almighty Creator - Allah - being central.

The lectures are delivered in Mufti Menks eloquent sytle of being simple to understand. They are dynamic, clear and to the point. All references given by Mufti Menk are from Qur’aan and authentic ahadith.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...E&feature=plcp

:wa:

[Sumaiya54]

Masha'Allah

[Shalehhudin]

Serena,

Masya Allah, may Allah make your life better here and hereafter. Amazing, indeed.