What made you believe?

[Sanma]

Hello,

My name is Nick, 22 years old, and i am currently agnostic. Or that's how i feel i should classify it.

I've been in love with a girl for a couple of years, and she is a Muslim. I've made some research on Islam, but i am still quite new to the religion and have one big problem, so i'd like to hear your stories about it: What made you believe?

Yes, whether you've been a Muslim all your life, or reverted now or long ago, i'd like to know since i would like to marry said girl in the future, but wouldn't want to revert only for the sake of it and be a Hypocrite.. It wouldn't be fair to her, so i want to truly believe.. but can't get myself to do it just yet. I know it takes time, i know i have to study more about it... But i really think this could help.

Thank you in advance for your kind advise.

Regards,

Nick

[GodIsAll]

I admire your sincerity and will to research. Good luck!

[~Zaria~]

:salamext:
Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.

Welcome to IB, Nick :)


What makes me believe?

Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah), the words of our Creator can express these reasons, better and more deeply than I ever can......

[- Qatada -]

Hey Nick, i'll try to answer your question briefly and you can ask more questions after it. :)


What is Islam?

Islaam is a whole way of life so it covers every single aspect of our life. Whether it's on how to run a state (with justice), to the social relations on how to treat your friends, family (kindly, with respect etc.)

Let's start off with the fact that the majority of the world believes in a God, or 'Higher being.' The difference between islaam and all other faiths is that instead of just recognising that there is a God, we believe that the Creator created us with the purpose of submitting to Him, worshipping Him alone sincerely without any associates.

These associates can be stone idols, it can be humans (or human legislations) it can be a person's desires etc.

Islaam call's to the worship of God, known as Allaah in arabic. If you're confused about why God is Allaah in arabic, realise that people from spain call God - Dios, the french call God - Dieu etc. So there's nothing confusing about God being called Allaah in the arabic language.

Allaah has sent messengers to convey the same message of calling to the worship of God since the beginning of time, since Adam (peace be upon him) the first person to ever live. All the messengers came to call to Allaah's worship, and this is the purpose of our creation - to worship Allaah, without no associates, so no idols, no humans, no law which opposes the law which Allaah has revealed to His messengers.


We as muslims believe that Noah, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad (peace be upon them all) were prophets. There have been a total of 124,000 prophets that have come to mankind to call to the worship of Allaah Alone. However, the majority of mankind has fallen astray, because they do believe in a Creator, but they reject the fact that He should be worshipped alone.


Any deeds we do, we do them sincerely to gain Allaah's Mercy, and if we gain it - we will enter the eternal paradise which all the prophets have called to also. However, if someone rejects the worship of the One God - without any associates, they will be punished in the hellfire. This is the only sin which God does not forgive, why should He, if the person is saying that a stone is God? Or a human is God etc.



We all will die and be raised back on the day of recompense, when Allaah/God will judge between us on all that we did. No-one will be judged unfairly because Allaah is the Most Just. Allaah can bring the dead back to life, the same way He brings the dead land back to life by sending down rain.


If you feel that God is being unfair to His servants by punishing those that associate partners with Him, then the justice for this will also be balanced out. Allaah will ask those who associated partners with Him to ask the one's they worshipped for reward. So if someone worshipped a stone idol, they will ask that for recompense on the day of judgement (obviously the stone won't be able to do anything.) If someone worships a human, even if the human is pious, the person will have to get their reward from this human [but obviously everything is dependant on the Creator.] The one's who worshipped God Alone, sincerely without no associates - they will be rewarded by Allaah, the Exhalted with an eternal paradise where they can have all that they desire, and more.


If anyone feels that it is unjust, then they have to stop being unjust to their own Creator. If Allaah created man so he should serve Him especially, then why worship the stone idol, or why worship a human when you can turn towards your Creator and Provider?



The servant and final Messenger of God, Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that God Almighty says;

O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me.

O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds good, praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that, blame no one but himself.

It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

To read up more about Islam, you can check this site out;

http://IslamReligion.com



I'm convinced of the truthfulness of Islam due to it's comprehensive nature, its caring nature, and the ability to have a perfect relationship with God and huiman kind at the same time. Islam allows you to reach newer levels you could never accomplish before, it allows you to believe in yourself and better yourself continuously. All this is done through following the wise guidance which has been given to us as a mercy.

So always call out from your heart; "God, if you exist - guide me to what you love and make me of the successful." Then listen to the guidance with an open heart and mind.

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[serena77]

welcome to islamic board Nick. I commend you for being willing to learn, and for knowing that reverting just for her sake... is not the right move. It is something you have to do for you. Inshallah (Allah willing) you will be shown the correct path and be able to open your heart to follow it.

I reverted two months ago. Due to where i live, that information is not known to anyone here locally and i hate that, but that information is better recieved in some places than others in the US. I started watching stories of women reverting on YouTube, long before i thought anymore than, oh wow that is a touching story I so admire that sister.. Then i read the Koran which I fell in love with. I would love to learn arabic but until i manage that, then i'll have to read most of it in english. I spent a few years studying ... reading.... getting involved on boards like these, everyone has been so welcoming and open.

I started learning the prayers before i reverted... I try and learn more and more still every day..

Islam is about intent also it is a beautiful where women are treated beautifully and it is a religion of peace. A lot of those who don't understand Islam may question one or both of those things, but both are true...

There is a show online called the Deen show. Its great... I've watched a lot of episodes...
So many here also post wonderful YouTube and other sources videoes...
I really recommend watching what you can.. and we will be here to answer anything we can

serena

[Sanma]

Thank you for the warm welcome and fast replies :)

I checked the video (Which i'll probably see again soon), and also all the information provided by Qatada, i appreciate it! Regarding the website you referred me to, i'm glad to say i've been going to that site for a couple of weeks now to read on all its content. Slow but steady wins the race, right? I plan to keep on reading until i can finish it all. I've also been checking other sources, but if you have any in particular to recommend, please do so.

I will still need time and more information and stories if possible, so i'd like to keep the thread going and come back here every time a see a new reply, for new inspiration. I would really like to know What made you believe.

Thanks again!

Nick

[dysphoricrocker]

You should go to a converts' association or a mosque near your area and learn more about Islam if there is one. If there isn't, i guess the next best option is to seek knowledge through the internet, but be sure to be careful of the sources.

Where i'm from, there are several converts' associations and they are really beneficial for those interested in Islam. Alhamdulillah. May Allah guide yo brother.

[- Qatada -]

Hi, or lets say Asalaamu alaykum (peace be upon you) :) the greeting of the believers and their greeting in Paradise.


Here's a good website with videos of why many people came to Islam; theDeenShow.com

It's really kool, check it out :D

[Snowflake]

Hi & welcome Nick,

You seem to be a good soul if you're not accepting Islam just for the sake of anyone other than God. In fact that doesn't make one a muslim at all. A muslim has to believe in the Oneness of Allah, and what was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Prophet's before him. So good to know you're going the right way about it.

As for what made me believe. I was born into a believing family but not raised as a practicing muslim. My belief in God, Himself was strong but everything else was vague. In fact due to lack of this knowledge and the influence gained at school through singing hymns and participating in the 'christian' festivals from an early age, I was more aware of Jesus than Muhammad (pbuh). Except Eid, I was never drawn to 'islamic' celebrations my family and relatives engaged in, and it was good thing with most as I later found them to be innovations in Islam.

Amazingly, it was through a revert, Dr Maurice Bucaille, that I took my first real interest in Islam, or rather the Quran. Maurice Bucaille had embraced Islam following his scientific study of the Quran. He'd studied arabic so to understand verses in their truest form. So I was really curious as to what he'd found that had made him a stronger believer than I was. I found a site about his work and started reading. The more I read the more I became convinced. May Allah forgive me but before that I wasn't even sure if the Quran was the Truth. I didn't know anything about how or why it was revealed, and what it contained. But once I became convinced of this, my interest in Islam deepened and I started reading more and saw what an logical approach to life Islam gave. It covered everything a person could encounter in their life. I remember feeling shock and amazement that Islam had rulings about trading, financial matters, crimes, penalties, farming and everything that we do, so as to guide us to do it in the way that is best for us, others, society and even the environment we live in. There was no going back. I was hooked.

I praise Allah, The Highest for guiding me. I can't ever thank Him enough. He is the Greatest. I pray Allah blesses you with guidance, and the sweet taste of true faith. May your life become a shining example of a true believer and you forever become our brother in Islam. Ameen.



Peace be to you.

[Sanma]

Hello again!

For: dysphoricrocker. Now that is a VERY GOOD IDEA!. I don't really know of any converts association, but i can dig up some information and see if i find something. I believe there is a mosque a few kilometers away, and i've already been thinking on going there, but with my work it's kind of complicated to go just any day. But i'll make sure to visit soon enough

For: - Qatada - You were right, there are quite some great videos there! Also found one on youtube that caught my attention for the humor the guy puts in the story. Unfortunately since i have only a few posts it doesn't let me paste the link


Thanks again, and please keep them coming!. Any help is appreciated

[Sunnie Ameena]

Hi Nick,
I converted on my birthday last year. I am still learning. Right after I converted, I sorta overwhelmed myself with everything, so I suggest that you do exactly what you are doing, learn everything at your pace.
Now to tell you what made me believe....I got to reading and watching videos on youtube, and I realized that Muslims worship Allah at all times, not just when they go to the Mosque, or prayer time. Allah is their only focus. What a beautiful thing. So I started to compare Muslims to other religions, and realized that alot of them worshipped Allah on Sundays, or prayer time, and not so much on the other times. Grant you, I do understand that some other people that are not Muslim do worship Allah alot. But a Muslim, their life revolves around Allah. So I wish you well, and welcome you to the forum, and may you find what you are looking for. Peace, Sunnie

[Abu.Yusuf]

Hello Nick

Theres many reason why people are Muslims, heres some bullet points you may want to find out about [or ask here to elaborate]:

1. Islaam defines a humans purpose of being on this earth
2. Islaam calls its followers to submit to the Creator alone, while all other faiths call its followers to worship things in the creation
3. The Islamic sources [The Qur`aan and Hadeeth] are authentic, meaning they can be traced back to its origin and no one has tampered or changed them. God promises to protect them.
4. The Qur`aan is scientifically consistent, talking about things which were impossible for people at the time to know [e.g. about embryology, barrier between two seas, mountains having deep root etc].
5. The Qur`aan challenges the people expert in Arabic language [and those in doubt that the Qur`aan is not from God] to make one chapter like it [in eloquence]. Smallest chapter is around 10 words.
6. The Qur`aan challenges the peopel to find any contradictions in it. It says if this Book was from other than God there would have been many contradictions...
7. The Prophesy of Muhammad [pbuh] in the Bible
8. Other Miracles of the Prophet Muhammad
9. More clear version of the story of Jesus [pbuh]

and im sure theres more...

[Sumaiya54]

Hi!
I have recently reverted to Islam and I started researching about it when I was 11 and now I am 13.
To me Islam is the true religion, right religion, because of numerous reasons (not in order of why I converted).

1. It is so pure, so whole, and when I read Quran and read about Islam and talk to sisters and brothers it just all makes a whole, perfect sense, Alhamduillah.
2. There are many scientific miracles that are in the Quran, as said above, it has to be the word of Allah (SWT).
3. I have had signs from Allah that I can not ignore, for example, the day that I prayed to Allah not knowing anything about Islam my Muslim friend emailed me out of the blue, asking me if I wanted to be Muslim.
4. It answers all of my questions about life.
5. I always believed in one God, and the Trinity didn't make sense to me. Now I know that Jesus (PBUH) is a Prophet.
6. Islamic family has always made tears come out of my eyes, it is so beautiful, the children respect their parents and have an immense bond with their family still, so beautiful, Masha'Allah.

Those are the main reasons I converted to Islam, lots of other little ones, Insha'Allah this information was useful to the poster.

[Hulk]

I was born muslim but only in my late teens did I start to learn more about religion. Now I am 23. While the true journey towards my firmer belief is going to be too long, I will try to list down my reasons.

What is the evidence of God? Creation. If you find a laptop, can you not deduce that there is a laptop manufacturer? Even if it is on the other side of the world from where you are.

Many Gods or only One God? To me it makes logical sense for there to only be One God who is all-seeing all-hearing etc. This God is our Creator and he is not part of Creation. Therefore anything we can see in this world is not God because anything we see is a creation.

The Quran is a book of SIGNS. While I do believe that there are many things in the Quran that can be related to recent scientific discoveries. The Quran never calls itself a book of science but rather, it says that THOSE who HAVE KNOWLEDGE will be ABLE to see the SIGNS of truth. It is not just the scientific discoveries that can be considered as signs. There are many. For example film/video. In Islam we believe that in the afterlife, our actions will be shown to us. 1400 years ago there were no video cameras, no tv. Today we know that such things ARE possible, if they are possible in THIS life and achievable by humans. Surely God has a better one. And then theres the belief that all our good and bad deeds will be recorded down by angels, 1400 years ago writing material was scarce, even a few hundred years ago one can imagine that the amount of paper needed to write the deeds of a persons entire life could never be enough. But today we have thousands of pages worth of written work that can be stored in a thumbdrive. There are many other signs that I might not know of..

there is too much on my mind for me to say but if maybe i will drop by this thread in future and speak more.

[tayek1967]

Allah is ILAH, Mohammad(sm) is Ideal & from Allah. Hedaya, Real law created by Allah, and stablished it in the whole world of all society. its work & I believe it in my soul. thats everythings, thanks.

[dqsunday]

Salaam all:

I am very new to Islam, in fact, it has only been about a month since I decided to become a Muslim. What made me 'convert' is for a few different reasons. A show that aired in 2005-2006 made me curious about Islam, though I had been curious about it before in the past but didn't do any research at the time. After 9/11 the view of Muslims certainly changed yet a part of me always felt the terrorists who flew plans into the Twin Towers and attempted to do the same at other locations in the US, i never felt they represented the truth of Islam. I just didn't look much into it at the time.

However, the series I mentioned, made me want to know more. I bought an English translation of the Holy Qur'an. I knew I could download it online but I wanted the book, so I could read it anywhere in the house, not just at my computer. I don't own a laptop and the Qur'an was much cheaper than buying a laptop ;)

It did not take long before I realized Islam isn't what I originally thought it was. It made more sense to me and felt more....for lack of better word, 'natural' to me as the correct path for me. Allah is the one true God and no others should be worshiped instead or with him. None are equal. The holy Trinity of Christianity is putting others on the same level as Allah.

It is very good you are not converting to Islam solely to marry your girlfriend. If you don't truly embrace it, there will always be frictions, especially if she's very devout. You have to embrace Islam for yourself and truly wish to do so from your heart, not just to win the 'girl' so to speak. Allah knows what is truly in your heart, there is no hiding from Him.

As I am so very new as a Muslim, I have a huge amount of things to learn myself... one good move I made was reaching to my local Muslim community. A simple google search revealed to me there was a website for the local Mosque which had a list of contact persons. I emailed one and expressed my interest in learning about Islam and possibly converting. He was very helpful, even if what he did was ask if he could forward my email to another in the community who knew Islam far better than he. This person was very helpful and very warm and open, made me feel very welcome and gave a fantastic impression of the Muslim community. It was a way for me to learn more about the religion and he told me of a monthly potluck held at the Mosque, which he invited me to attend. I did, and it was a most interesting experience. I also learned not to rush to learn everything in record time, as Islam is a bottomless font of information...even those who had lifetimes studying, being Muslim don't know everything.

In Summary, I suggest reading an English translation of the Holy Qur'an, and since your girlfriend is Muslim, grill her with questions. Borrow her Qur'an if it is in English. Or whatever language you are most comfortable with. Speaking on a newbie's point of view, reading the Holy Qur'an helped me see what Islam is...and understand its not a real complex religion, or is it a once a week prayer. It has challenges, many which I am working on still, such as performing all the required prayers...I am not a morning person. Then there is just learning the prayers themselves, then the format/stages etc. but take everything one step at a time. Several Muslims I have met so far and various resources i found online, have said think of Islam like a ladder, take it one rung at a time, don't race to the top. Otherwise, if you miss your step you may end up at the bottom (ie lose your way).

Youtube has many wonderful videos, including various 'how to pray' videos. I also really enjoy 'Towards Understanding Surah Yusuf' (a chapter in the Qur'an. English translations may have Yusuf as 'Joseph', which mine does) by Yasir Qadhi. It is in 20 parts each about 25 min long. Very interesting.

[mudaber]

I impressed sanma

[sohail1234]

assalam o alikum
it is nice to hear that you want to revert to islam not for sake of that girl but for Alllah, try to read out Quran and consult a scholar they will guide you and teach you Quran, read it with translation, you will be able to understand easily that what islam is..... jazak ALLAH and best of luckk.. :-)

[Ahmad H]

Hello,
I've made some research on Islam, but i am still quite new to the religion and have one big problem, so i'd like to hear your stories about it: What made you believe?

I have been Muslim all of my life, but what made me believe and become a sincere Muslim, was the fact that I started to make a sincere search myself for Allah. This is important, because Allah only changes those who change themselves. I did not know this at first. I learned through experience and later came to know this.

I kept in company with Muslims, prayed often, and I started to read the Qur'an more. I read books on Islam more, and I started to ponder on Islam very often. What made me truly believe was not doing all of this, since anyone can make a change and FEEL like they are on the right path. It takes actual knowledge to know you are on the right path. But what kind of knowledge? Knowledge from Allah Himself.

I started to get true dreams which came true based off of the interpretations given in books on interpretations of dreams. I am not going to divulge my dreams here since dreams should only be mentioned to those who are very close to a person or a very highly spiritual person. But, I got so many of them and continue to do so now that I see signs of those dreams' fulfilments in my life. It is truly wonderful since they are constant reminders from Allah that He shows the unseen to His servants. These instances in my life are enough proof for me to know that Allah is there and present.

But none of that can benefit you if you do not first make a sincere attempt to become close to Allah. If you doubt any of this and do not believe in Him and reject that Allah can show you His wonders, then you will remain blind and He will not assist you in your going astray. You would be making yourself go astray. I have a very good agnostic friend whom I always discuss religion with, but in everything we discuss, when it comes to revelations from Allah, he starts to become the most irrational man I have ever seen. He is rational otherwise, but he is so spiritually blind that I have come to learn that unless Allah helps him believe, he will never believe. I have lost any hopes that he would ever find the right path. I hope in my heart he does, but don't doubt revelations since you can only know by trying to experience them in your attempts to be a sincere Muslim who is seeking the right path. You must try to experience it, and if you try to become the best Muslim you can and are sincere in your belief in Allah and His commandments, then I am sure Allah will open the way for you.

This is my experience. It continues even today. When I heighten my spirituality, I start to see more dreams from Allah which tell me of my own future. Sometimes I am given answers to questions about different things, such as the interesting issue on Dajjal and Gog and Magog. I have asked to know more about these and Allah gave me the understanding which benefits me most. Whether or not I benefited by it, only He knows for sure.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

^ subhanAllaah.

bro I have a friend who believes in Jinn possession STRONGLY. I mean this man has NO doubt in jinn.

but he cant believe in Allaah?

He says he WANTS to believe in Allaah but he just cant.

I still dont know what to say to him.


Allah guides whom he wills but it puzzles me, this man is saying to me, almost pleading for me to help him come to some understanding and give him conviction so he can believe and I am sitting empty wondering what ti is which prevents him.

I know he is morally devoid, illicit in nature so perhaps that is why he is in that state. But how do you reach such a person and give reason....