Welcome to the forum alicegrace (lovely name by the way).
format_quote Originally Posted by
alicegrace
Salam (I think that is how you say hello?)
The Islamic greeting is almost akin to a form of prayer and good wishes for the person you are greeting. The short form, is assalaamu alaikum (peace be on you). The longer form is assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh (may peace and Allah's mercy and His blessings be on you). As a non-Muslim, you would be fine to stick with the word salaam (which means peace) - it's shorter and easier! And while it is a popular belief that the word Islam means peace, it actually means to submit or to surrender oneself, freely and willingly, to the will and authority and guidance of God (which in itself can lead to peace). The word Islam is derived from the same root as the word meaning peace however, as it has the same root letters s, l and m.
format_quote Originally Posted by
alicegrace
I am more of an athiest than any religion. I have an interest in Islam as a religion and culture. I would love to learn more and I would be interested in exploring the religion and lifestyle.
I would love to know anything you can tell me and I can't wait to hear some of what is to be said.
I am not sure how much you know about the core Islamic beliefs, so I hope you don't mind if I make an attempt to summarise them very briefly here.
If you came across a table and chair in the middle of a forest, you would know that someone had come along, sawn the right sized pieces of wood off the trees, shaped them, joined them together etc to make the table and chair in front of you. I'm sure you wouldn't conclude that the right sized pieces had sawn themselves off the trees and joined themselves together to make a table and chairs.
So we believe, that this intricate universe, has an all-Powerful Creator, and we don't believe that the universe came about by coincidence or by chance or by some random happening.
That Creator, periodically sent human messengers to mankind, to guide mankind as to how they should live, to be role-models, give good news, to warn mankind against wrong doing, and to tell them that they'll be brought to account on judgement day, and to show people how they should worship God the Creator, who is the Only One deserving of all worship, and has no associates in His Exclusive Divinity.
Islam is a culmination of that same ultimate universal truth which God revealed to all prophets and messengers, including Noah, Abraham, Jesus and Moses, peace be on them. Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be on him, is the last messenger of God, and a book called the Qur'an was revealed to him. That book is 100% God's word, so it supersedes, continues, confirms, and is a culimination of, the truth that was in the earlier scriptures. Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be on him, is the messenger who must now be followed, the Qur'an being the book that must be followed.
You'll notice that Islam is not named after a specific person (like Christianity, Buddhism), nor after a certain race or place (like Judaism, Hinduism), but is named by God Himself, the meaning loosely translating as 'submission to God', which is what every Prophet and their righteous followers did, from amongst all times, places and peoples. That in itself is one fraction of the evidence that it was the way of all the Prophets from the beginning. They all preached the same message, not different messages. The essence of Islam is what always was, and has always been, the true and natural religion; the original and only message.
As a brief foundation, we believe in, submit to, and worship, the One True God and Lord, the Creator, who has no sons, no associates in His Exclusive Divinity whatsoever, and obey the guidance of the prophets and messengers He sent, the last of whom is Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him). Since the scripture given to him is the only one preserved, and the Prophet's example is preserved, we follow him and the book given to him by God. We believe that mankind will be brought to account on Judgement day.
From the cultural setting, would it be ok for me to try wearing Islamic Clothing? Not full time, unless i really enjoy wearing them, but enough to get an idea of what it is like for muslim women.
Regarding Islamic clothing, of course you are most welcome try it. Muslim men and women must dress modestly. Hijaab literally means 'to cover' and is generally used to refer to the covering a Muslim woman (Muslimah) adopts out of modesty when in public. It is one aspect out of a wider context of purity of thought and action for both men and women. This includes lowering one's gaze, avoiding free-mixing with the opposite gender, behaving in a proper manner in necessary interactions with the opposite gender, etc. Due to differences in temperament and nature between men and women, a greater degree of privacy is required for women. Hijaab protects a Muslimah - it is not a sign of authority of man over woman, nor of subjugation or oppression. A Muslimah's standards of modesty come from God, not from man, nor from society at large. And there is great inner peace that comes from that, when accompanied by those beliefs.
Please feel free to ask for further clarifications, or any other questions you may have.
Peace.