:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)
Welcome to this board, sis. An honorable and happy welcome from the heart! :)
I used be an atheist, and I have been in love with Islam for years and years now. Of course, you are 100% right that you should do it for yourself and no one else as faith is a matter ultimately between you and
Allah (God) alone first and foremost.
To get started in terms of learning the basics, I'd recommend that you sign up for
Seekershub.org classes taught by Islamic scholars. They are 100% free classes that are offered for all Muslims, new converts and non-converts, to learn from and you may even sign up for the classes without converting. Of course, Term 2 is currently underway and so they won't be opening for classes until October 2nd; so, you might (unfortunately) have to wait some time. In the meantime, if you like to read, I recommend browsing the site
WhyIslam.org.
However, if you like listening to real stories of converts, I'd recommend these two wonderful stories on YouTube to gain a better understanding and insight into Islam:
Dr. Lawrence Brown's conversion story and this
85-year old Muslim convert's story.
Finally, if you want more in-depth explanations on the question of why Islam or such, I'd recommend two YouTube videos that I think are great at explaining the truth of Islam:
Divine Prologue 1 and
Divine Prologue 2.
And in addition to all of the above, I'm linking you to an inspiring YouTube video called
Islam and the Ego.
Peace.
By the way, if you have any concerns, questions, inquires or whatever, please, please, please don't hesitate to reach out to us as we're always
InshaAllah (God-willing) happy to help you as you're our sister in humanity and one whom we're honored to host on this board as our sister and friend.
Sincere Regards & Best Wishes, :statisfie
format_quote Originally Posted by
hc18
So my boyfriend and I have been together for a while. Him and his family moved here about 8 years ago from Iraq and are Sunni Muslims. I am a Catholic American. I was raised in a Catholic family and attended Catholic school, but stopped attending church and praying once I got to high school. I'm more just a Catholic by title than a practicing one. Ive spoken to my mom about converting and she is okay with whatever I decide as long as I'm happy. He's in no way forcing me to convert, but stated that he would like me to at least consider converting and learn more about Islam (it also would make things easier with his family). I have also learned a lot about Islam from being around him and his friends and asking questions and I really am attracted to and intrigued by it. I have began to read the Quran and have caught myself reading it and not being able to put it down once I start. I've also prayed about how I'm considering converting. However, I feel as if I don't know enough to be able to convert because I want to convert for myself and in my belief that Islam is the one, true religion, not for my boyfriend. What are the first steps I need to take in order to learn more about Islam and decide if it's right for me?
Thanks for all your help!