Baha'i or Islam

[Nightingale9]

I am currently a Baha'i and have been so for about a year, but recently I have met a new Muslim friend who enjoys talking about religion as much as I do. So when chatting with her began t learn more and more about Islam and that began to make me think which is the correct way to worship God :hmm: . well to make a long story short I am not really sure how to put this, but I am looking for some of your guys thoughts and ideals that made you recognize Islam as being true and the last religion or what has kept you for straying off the true path.
Also if its not too much is it true that Muslims cant hang out and be friends with non muslims? I ask this because that same friend I talk to in school is not aloud to hang out with me outside of school because her father said she cant because I am not a Muslim.imsad
Is there any verse I can show him that could help change his mind.

[*charisma*]

Hello (:

I am looking for some of your guys thoughts and ideals that made you recognize Islam as being true and the last religion or what has kept you for straying off the true path.

The beautiful thing I loved about Islam was that the more I learned about it, the more it intrigued me. It made sense. Everything just fell in place and I felt really good in my heart and mind...so peaceful. I always believed if you're going to be a part of a religion, you should accept all of it, not just the parts that you like or agree with. With Islam, I can do this and not feel bad about any belief. I can go into a lot more specifics but it would be such a long post! but I hope you can understand the gist of what I'm saying.

Also if its not too much is it true that Muslims cant hang out and be friends with non muslims?

They can hang out and be friends, but not too close of friends depending on the situation. For example, I wouldn't go out to the bar with my nonMuslim friends, but I wouldn't mind if we went out to a restaurant together. I also don't make friends who would be a bad influence on me and who wouldn't accept my lifestyle as a Muslim. Muslims are generally over-protective of their children in making sure they are always safe and not around bad influences. If you learned more about Islam and her family saw that you are a good person, I don't see why they wouldn't allow you to hang out with her. I used to introduce my friends to my mom so that she would feel more at ease with them. I think the more you learn about Islam, the more you will understand the relationship between nonMuslims and Muslims (:

[Hulk]

There are many muslims with non-muslims friends dear sister, don't worry about that. The truth in Islam is clear to anyone who comes to it with an open heart. Islam is the religion practiced by all the Prophets of God from Adam to Muhammad (Peace be upon them all).

The word Islam means "submit" but it is also related to "peace". Submit meaning we submit ourselves to God, and a Muslim is one who practices Islam. Reflect on that if you may.. What is religion if not surrendering ourselves to the will of God?

There are many converts on the forum and I believe if you ask them about their journey they would tell you different things that brought them to Islam. This is how the truth is. Whatever angle you see it from, truth is still clear so long as you do not tarnish your view in the first place. I suggest going for a class on Islam (by muslims of course), I think that is the best way to learn.

[tearose]

Hi Nightingale9,

A few years ago I was doing a university course on World Religions. Islam always stood out to me from the beginning, I can't really put my finger on why, but I can try to identify some of the main aspects that convinced me.

Firstly, I realized that Islam had clear, comprehensible answers to all of the questions and doubts I had. That is something that not only convinced me from day one, but continues to keep me from veering away from the path. If I find something I don't understand right away, or questions come to mind, I have strong faith that the answer is somewhere in Islam. I may have to dig a little to find it, but the answer is always there.

Secondly, from the first time I read a translation of the Qur'an, I got a strong feeling that what I was reading was true, and a direct message from God to humanity. I recommend you to read it if you have not already, you can read it online. The more I read, the more I became convinced.

The fact that Islam is the true religion is shown by the following verse of the Qur'an (Surat Al-'Aĥzāb 33:40):

Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah , of all things, Knowing.

Since I believe that the Qur'an is true, I believe that Muhammad(saws) is the last prophet, because this ayat of the Qur'an makes it clear that this is the final revelation to mankind. Islam is the only religion which upholds this.

I hope what I said was clear. About your other point, maybe you could ask your friend to introduce you to her family and let them know you are interested in Islam?It might be easier if they know you and know about the kind of things you are talking about with your friend. Maybe they could help with some of your questions too. All the best.

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[Insaanah]

Greetings Nightingale9 and welcome to the forum.

I am looking for some of your guys thoughts and ideals that made you recognize Islam as being true and the last religion

Islam is what has always been, since the beginning. All the prophets of God taught the same thing, came with the same message, which was for people to submit to and worship the One True God alone without any associates whatsoever in His Divinity, and to obey the Prophet. That message never changed. It is the original and only message.

Allah has sent a succession of prophets to people throughout the ages, with guidance to show us how He wants us to live and worship Him. They showed us how to put into practice God's guidance, and are examples for us to follow. God requires that we obey His teachings that He sent the prophets with. Muslims love, honour and believe in all the prophets God sent to guide and warn people, and do not reject any of them, from Adam, to the last and final prophet, Muhammad, peace be on them all. They were the purest and noblest of humanity and were not divine in any way, nor were they manifestations of God. God sent all the prophets with the same message and not different messages.

They taught that people should be under no misperception that they can commit themselves to God as their Lord, and then combine this with accepting others as their Lord, or associating others in His Divinity, in any way. So Islam is not a new faith but is the same Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). Thus Islam is not named after a specific person (like Christianity, Buddhism, Bahai'ism), nor after a certain race or place (like Judaism, Hinduism), but is named by God Himself*, and the meaning loosely translates as 'submission to God', which is what every Prophet and their righteous followers did, from amongst all times, all races and all peoples. That in itself is one fraction of the evidence that it was the way of all the Prophets from the beginning.

*...It is the religion of your father Abraham. It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation)... (22:78, part)

....This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion... (5:3, part)

Whenever God's message got forgotten or distorted, a new messenger was sent, not coming with any new/changed core beliefs, but confirming the truth of what came before, clearing misconceptions that had crept in, reinforcing the key beliefs that had always been, with possible small changes in ancillary rules/regulations. It is when the previous message gets distorted and people go astray, that a new messenger was sent, and allegiance had to be given to him. This chain of messengers culminates in prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Since the time of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is the last and final prophet and messenger, Gods message is available unchanged and unadulterated, for the entire world, until the end of time. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) wasn't sent as prophet and messenger for a specific group of people and specific time (e.g. as Moses and Jesus -peace be upon them- were to the Children of Israel), but he was sent for all the world, for all time, from his prophethood until the Day of Judgement. Thus he is the last, not first, prophet of Islam; a messenger to all mankind, to be followed until the end of time.

The Qur'an is the last and final scripture of God, revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) via the angel Gabriel (peace be upon him). It's message is for the entire world, until the world ends. It is because Allah has promised to preserve the Qur'an that there won't be any need for a new Prophet, because the message is, and will remain, in tact. Thus it is fully preserved with no word in it coming from any human. It is 100% the word of God, unlike the other scriptures that we have with us today, that have been changed by humans, thus it supersedes the previous scriptures.

It has no versions or editions. Millions of people from all over the world have it memorised, and they all recite word for word the same thing. It contains practical guidance on how to live our life, how to worship God, stories of previous prophets from which to learn lessons, warnings, rules, comfort, solace, and in it God corrects any misconceptions people may have about Him or His prophets. It tells us what has always been expected from humans since the beginning of time; what He told His prophets to teach people since the very beginning. That message never changed. The essence of Islam is what always was, and has always been, the true and natural religion; the way of all the Prophets, the original message, the only message.

It's universal message has remained unchanged for over 1400 years, not only a religion, but a way of life, for all people, all times, and all places. It is a complete code of conduct for every aspect of life, from the most intimate, to the most public. It not only exhorts one to be good, but provides complete guidance to practically live that, strongly aiming to prevent problems in society from the outset; solutions for problems are also given. The modern world only stands to benefit from Islam. An increase in knowledge and education, and scientific discoveries, provide further evidence that it is the truth. Islam is a means for our own personal and spiritual growth as well as the means of success in this world, and also in the hereafter, with Allah's Mercy. It is a complete way of life for all the people of the world.

Hope that helps a bit and please don't hesitate to ask for further clarification and further questions that might stem from this.

[Ahmad H]

As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuhu,

I will share with you how I don't normally stray off the path from elsewhere but Islam. I have lots of experiences with this. Whenever I see a disbeliever and I notice their way of life, I see that they don't remember Allah. This is painful for me since I am so attached to the thought of Allah, and His being in my mind all day, that to let my mind wander off of Him for any period of time makes me feel as if I have done something terribly wrong.

As for being guided in Islam, whenever I have perplexing questions about life, I go to the Holy Qur'an to read about the answers to life's problems. Lo and behold! The answers are all there. This is no exaggeration, I have honestly always found the answers in the Holy Qur'an.

I find that whenever I pray, I feel at peace. So when I leave prayers for any time, I feel guilty about it and realize that I have missed my very life itself by not praying. I feel empty inside, and as if I have lost a part of myself. This guilt makes me realize that I need prayers. When I leave the Zikr of Allah on my tongue, then I feel as if I have lost the sweetness of His words on my tongue. (I hope this doesn't sound too much like poetry, but saying Zikr really does feel sweet to me)

When I think of Allah, then I feel at ease. I am afraid of Him. But at the same time if I know that I did something wrong, then I should truly be afraid of His punishment and then I feel uneasy. If I try to forget His punishment, then I feel at ease, but later on I realize I did something terribly wrong, and that unless I ask for His forgiveness, I can't be safe.

When I find myself in hard situations, or when I find life's tasks difficult, or if I need some guidance regarding a matter and I ask Allah for a dream, He gives me dreams which lets me know my future situations. Sometimes when I need information through dreams He gives them to me if it is in His will.

These are the ways in which I know Islam to be the right path. There are many other reasons why I find Islam to be the right path besides these, this is just one part of why I find it true and don't stray. I consider it a privilege to be a Muslim, since a Muslim must pray if he wants to remain a Muslim, and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said in a Hadith that the difference between a believer and a disbeliever is that the believer prays to Allah. Not in those words exactly, but when one leaves prayer they have gone to disbelief.

I hope this helps.

Wassalaam.

[Nightingale9]

Thanks for the answers so far, you all are very kind :D I was unsure weather to join here and post because,well i thought I might get slammed in the face with some posts because I as a Baha'i. but I am so glad to see people here are open and kind plus with great answers. So my next question would have to be is, to be a Muslim do you have to believe in the whole Adam and Eve ( I am not sure if its still Eve in Islam or not) were the first people and that it took 6 ( not sure on the amount of days either sorry) days for Allah to create the Earth? Because I really cant see that as literally true.

[Insaanah]

to be a Muslim do you have to believe in the whole Adam and Eve ( I am not sure if its still Eve in Islam or not) were the first people

As sister *charisma* said, when we believe in Islam we believe in the whole of it, and don't and can't pick and choose. If we accept the Qur'an as the final scripture, and as being 100% the word of God, then we must believe in all the prophets, and belief in them all is one of the articles of faith. Indeed, in the Qur'an, Allah chastises the Jews for rejecting certain of the prophets and messengers He sent. Rejection of or blaspheming of even one of the Prophets takes one outside the fold of Islam.

Yes, we believe that Adam (peace be upon him) was the first human being, and Eve (Hawwaa in Arabic, peace be upon her) was his wife. They are the parents of the human race, and are our first mother and father. Allah chose Adam, and honoured him, and so do we.

Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him]. (20:122)

Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds - (3:33)

In the Qur'an, Allah addresses all of humanity by virtue of our being the Children of Adam:

O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (7:35)

And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference. (17:70)

Those were the ones upon whom Allah bestowed favor from among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping. (19:58)

I am not sure what you mean by the whole Adam and Eve story, but we believe God created them both, and that they lived in the garden, and that Allah taught Adam the names of all things. Allah ordered the angels and Iblis (Satan) to bow down to him, but Satan refused, as he thought he was better than Adam, and promised to try to mislead Adam and his children. Allah told Adam and Eve not to eat from a certain tree. They were warned that if they ate from the tree, they would be wrong-doers and that if they listened to Satan, he would cause them to be deprived of the garden. Satan had said that he would do his best to mislead humans. Placing Adam and Eve in the garden gave them their first experience of dealing with this challenge. Satan tempted them both, and they both ate from the tree, and immediately regretted what they had done. They both repented and prayed for forgiveness (and the prayer they used is one still used by Muslims today in their supplications), and both were forgiven by their Loving, Merciful Lord, nothing further was needed, and Allah honoured and guided him and they left the garden to live on earth.

This lesson for all the descendants of Adam tells us that we, as humans, have the freedom to choose, to err, and to repent sincerely if we wish, and should we do so, we will find Allah, Forgiving, Merciful. And that we need to be careful of Satan trying to mislead us. Indeed on the day of judgement he'll say to those who followed him or those he lead astray:

And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but my promises were false. I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me.. (14:22, part)

and that it took 6 ( not sure on the amount of days either sorry) days for Allah to create the Earth? Because I really cant see that as literally true.

Yes the Qur'an states that Allah created the heavens and earth in six days (but Allah knows best if they are 24 hour days or other periods of time). Why does that not seem true to you? Allah did not however, rest on the seventh day, far removed be He from that.

[Ahmad H]

As sister *charisma* said, when we believe in Islam we believe in the whole of it, and don't and can't pick and choose. If we accept the Qur'an as the final scripture, and as being 100% the word of God, then we must believe in all the prophets, and belief in them all is one of the articles of faith. Indeed, in the Qur'an, Allah chastises the Jews for rejecting certain of the prophets and messengers He sent. Rejection of or blaspheming of even one of the Prophets takes one outside the fold of Islam.

Yes, we believe that Adam (peace be upon him) was the first human being, and Eve (Hawwaa in Arabic, peace be upon her) was his wife. They are the parents of the human race, and are our first mother and father. Allah chose Adam, and honoured him, and so do we.

Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him]. (20:122)

Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds - (3:33)

In the Qur'an, Allah addresses all of humanity by virtue of our being the Children of Adam:

O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (7:35)

And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference. (17:70)

Those were the ones upon whom Allah bestowed favor from among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping. (19:58)

I am not sure what you mean by the whole Adam and Eve story, but we believe God created them both, and that they lived in the garden, and that Allah taught Adam the names of all things. Allah ordered the angels and jinns to bow down to him, but Satan refused, as he thought he was better than Adam, and promised to try to mislead Adam and his children. Allah told Adam and Eve not to eat from a certain tree. They were warned that if they ate from the tree, they would be wrong-doers and that if they listened to Satan, he would cause them to be deprived of the garden. Satan had said that he would do his best to mislead humans. Placing Adam and Eve in the garden gave them their first experience of dealing with this challenge. Satan tempted them both, and they both ate from the tree, and immediately regretted what they had done. They both repented and prayed for forgiveness (and the prayer they used is one still used by Muslims today in their supplications), and both were forgiven by their Loving, Merciful Lord, nothing further was needed, and Allah honoured and guided him and they left the garden to live on earth.

This lesson for all the descendants of Adam tells us that we, as humans, have the freedom to choose, to err, and to repent sincerely if we wish, and should we do so, we will find Allah, Forgiving, Merciful. And that we need to be careful of Satan trying to mislead us. Indeed on the day of judgement he'll say to those who followed him or those he lead astray:

And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but my promises were false. I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me.. (14:22, part)



Yes the Qur'an states that Allah created the heavens and earth in six days (but Allah knows best if they are 24 hour days or other periods of time). Why does that not seem true to you? Allah did not however, rest on the seventh day, far removed be He from that.

As-salamu 'alaykum,

Sister, I have to respectfully disagree with your saying that Adam and Eve were the first human beings on earth. The Holy Qur'an does not say that Adam and Eve were the first people on earth. We know that Allah created Adam (as), and He described it. But, we do not know how this went. When one does not know enough about something then they should say, "Allah knows best."

We are the Children of Adam, but this does not necessarily mean they are the first human beings on earth whom Allah created. We know Allah created Adam (as) from His Hands, but we cannot say what that means. We should just say, "Allah knows best" when we do not know.

[Esther462]

Theres nothing wrong with Muslims being friends with none Muslims. Ive got none Muslim friends and they are fine with me as Im fine with it. Im a convert to Islam so many of my friends were from before I was Muslim.