A few questions regarding Islam.

[TerryS]

I have a few questions about Islam. 1) Is the way to escape Hellfire and enter Paradise when you die to truly believe in Allah, the most Merciful? Is there anything else you have to do to enter Paradise? 2) When in Paradise, can you visit others in Paradise? Such as family members? 3)I am new to being a Muslim, I have been thinking about giving my Shahadah for a long time, but I am afraid that I don't know enough, and that I will disappoint Allah with my lack of knowledge in his regard. So, you pray 5 times each day, you celebrate Ramadan, you celebrate the two Eid's, you follow the 5 Pillars of Islam, and you try to read the Qur'an as much as possible. Is this all that is needed to become a good Muslim? Thank you!

[Hulk]

Greetings TerryS,

To enter Paradise, we will have to rely on God's Mercy. As muslims, as human beings, we should do our best to do what is good and avoid/forbid what is bad but ultimately it is through Allah's Mercy that one is forgiven and granted Paradise. Never ever despair of Allah's Mercy, no matter how deep you feel you have fallen, always repent.

"Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.""
Quran Sura Az-Zumar 39:53

You being afraid of disappointing Allah is to me a sign of being God conscious. However, you should know that He knows your strengths and weaknesses. He does not expect perfection from us. One step at a time.. If you believe that there is no god except the one true God, and that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His messenger then that is good enough. The rest will be part of your journey in learning, much like the rest of us.

[Nur Student]

And you can definitely visit your family members as long as they are righteous and can make it to the Paradise with Allah's mercy and grace.

Don't hesitate to embrace Islam only because of your weaknesses and lack of knowledge about Islam. None of us is perfect. Besides, no one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. What you know so far is far enough to become a Muslim. You already accept that there is no god other than Allah and that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is his messenger, don't you? Then you are a true believer. You only need to make a testimony (sha'dah). And then you have to practice the worships you mentioned above step by step.

[TerryS]

Asalaamu Alaykum!

Just yesterday, I gave my Shahadah! (With my Muslim friend as witness), then took a shower! I am so glad I finally went through with it! It is 5:11 AM currently, and I just finished my first Fajr! I am so happy! Although, I have a question or two.

I am currently in high school, and Dhuhr occurs while I am at school. I can do Dhuhr at lunch, but I don't think there are any places I can do it.

I've thought about doing it on the grass/feild. Would that be alright?

Thank you!

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[ardianto]

Wa'alaikumsalam

Alhamdulillah. Welcome to Islam, my brother.

About your questions. Duhr time started from duhr azan until ashr azan, it's mean the time is long enough. You can perform duhr at lunch if it is still in duhr time.

And it's okay to perform salah on grass or soil. However, to avoid contact with surface that maybe impure (dirty), you must use mat. If you don't have mat you can use plastic sheet or even newspaper.

:)

[TerryS]

Wa'alaikumsalam

Alhamdulillah. Welcome to Islam, my brother.

About your questions. Duhr time started from duhr azan until ashr azan, it's mean the time is long enough. You can perform duhr at lunch if it is still in duhr time.

And it's okay to perform salah on grass or soil. However, to avoid contact with surface that maybe impure (dirty), you must use mat. If you don't have mat you can use plastic sheet or even newspaper.

:)

Thank you very much. I am very happy! However, I have a few questions.

What day (on the solar calender) is Ramadan?
Is it okay to fall asleep after you do Fajr?
I heard Muslims are not allowed to listen to music, is that true?


Thank you.

[Muhammad]

Wa Alaykum Assalam brother Terry,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to Islam, all praise and thanks is due to Allah :swt:! Well done for going through with it :)

As a word of caution, take things step by step to avoid becoming overwhelmed. There are many things to take in but remember that nobody is perfect and change is often gradual. It is very good you are focusing on prayer - that is a good place to start. Also read more about the first pillar of Islam - Tawheed, which is about the Oneness of Allaah :swt:.

May Allaah :swt: help you and keep you steadfast, and may He increase you in knowledge and understanding of Islam, Aameen.

[ardianto]

What day (on the solar calender) is Ramadan?

For 2014 Ramadan predicted will start on 28 or 29 June. But for the exact date we must wait official announcement.

Is it okay to fall asleep after you do Fajr?

It's depend on how long the time between Fajr and the time you start daily activity. Suggestion to not sleep again after Fajr is related to productivity, but it cannot be aplied without consider situation.

You live in four season country, don't you?. In the time when night is long and Fajr time is close to the time to start your daily activity, like in winter, I suggest you to not sleep again because it can disturb your productivity. But in the time when night is short and Fajr time is far from time to start your activity, if you want to sleep again after Fajr, you can sleep again. It's better than you force yourself to still awake but then you fall asleep at noon.

As Muslims we must productive in study or working.

I heard Muslims are not allowed to listen to music, is that true?

Brother Muhammad can answer question about music better than me.

[greenhill]

Welcome to islam Terry.

I just posted in clarifications on Islam 'About Islam'. This is precisely why I did. Got a few replies... :statisfie

The music part is a bit hard to answer but I remember there was a thread (or a few on this subject). My take on it in a nutshell is that people often use music as an 'escape' mechanism to relieve themselves of stress etc or perhaps to get a 'high'. Rather than to reach out to Allah with prayers, they put on their chosen songs to forget their problems. So, instead of turning to Allah, more and more turn to music, hence becoming a way of life... Hope it makes sense.

Peace.

[TerryS]

Hello. Thank you for the replies! Although, I still have a few more questions, if that's alright. How will I tell my parents? They have both Christian. And my father is very ignorant, and believes that all Muslims are anti-American terrorists, wanting to destroy America. Does that mean that I will celebrate the two Eid's alone? Being that I am the only Muslim in the family. How will the party work with only one person? What should I do now that I am Muslim? I have already memorized the daily prayer, what is the next step to take? Thank you! Assalamu Alaykum!

[greenhill]

How to tell your parents is a very sensitive matter and is entirely dependent on the family atmosphere... no real advice there... I always enjoy reading the stories of the prophets (25 of them that we are required to know) and it really helps with the understanding of the origin of the faith and that it is and has always been a part of a long continuous story from Adam to Muhammad.

[Muhammad]

Assalamu Alaykum Terry,

On the issue of music, numerous scholars have declared a consensus on the prohibition of using musical instruments. There are alternatives such as Islamic songs which do not use musical instruments. Of course the best thing to listen to is the recitation of the Holy Qur'an (it is recited in a melodious voice). You can find countless recitations by various reciters available online. Have a look at this thread for examples and a bit more information regarding Qur'an recitation:
http://www.islamicboard.com/forum/ne...-an-recitation

Note that even many born Muslims struggle with avoiding music. This is why I emphasised taking things one step at a time because you may find some things difficult to achieve immediately. Nevertheless it is important to be aware of these things so that steps can be put in place to get where you need to be, with Allah's help.

For detailed discussions on why music is prohibited (looking at evidences from Islamic sources), there are some threads here:
http://www.islamicboard.com/forum/ge...28#post1904028

How will I tell my parents? They have both Christian. And my father is very ignorant, and believes that all Muslims are anti-American terrorists, wanting to destroy America. Does that mean that I will celebrate the two Eid's alone? Being that I am the only Muslim in the family. How will the party work with only one person? What should I do now that I am Muslim? I have already memorized the daily prayer, what is the next step to take?

As brother greenhill mentioned, how to tell your parents depends on your particular situation and there is no one way to do it. It is something that is going to require tact as well as patience. Some people prefer to wait a while and remain a Muslim in secret until they feel the time is right. The following threads are all about people in a similar boat and you may find some useful advice given by fellow converts:

www.islamicboard.com/showthread.php?t=134288379-trials-conversion-telling-family.html
http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...time-home.html
www.islamicboard.com/showthread.php?t=134297751-lying-my-family.html
www.islamicboard.com/showthread.php?t=33559-want-tell-mum-how-i-feel-about-islam-but-scared.html
www.islamicboard.com/showthread.php?t=34973-telling-your-parents-you-have-reverted.html

These two links are from other websites:
http://muslimconverts.com/converts_i...n-to-islam.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/200708140...com/family.htm

Regarding being alone, try to meet with other Muslims who are near you, especially by going to a local Mosque. It may be daunting at first but it is very important. Being around other Muslims will reduce the feeling of loneliness and provide you with some support. It will also mean that you can be around other Muslims during Ramadhan and Eid, even if it's just for part of the day.

Concerning your last point on what to do next, here are a few pointers:

1. Constantly ask Allaah to keep you firm and to guide you
2. Respect your parents and always treat them with kindness and compassion
3. Be diligent in observing your daily prayers
4. Try to familiarise yourself with the Qur'an - perhaps start reading a translation and then gradually begin learning how to read the Arabic. You will need to memorise the first short chapter in Arabic (Al-Fatihah) for your prayers.
5. Learn more about the basics of Islam. It is best to learn from a teacher in a systematic manner.
6. Befriend good Muslims and distance yourself from bad companions

For many of the above points, going to a local Mosque regularly will help greatly. Others may have other tips and useful resources. I found this website which has some basics.. I've skimmed through it and it looks helpful: http://www.newmuslims.com/
If you have more time, you may want to look into this, which seems to be a very useful educational resource for new converts.: http://www.newmuslimacademy.com/

Let us know if you have any other questions and keep us updated about your progress. May Allaah :swt: make things easy for you and increase you in guidance, Aameen.