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shible
03-11-2007, 06:34 AM
:sl:

An Article Worth Sharing

Cat Stevens : How I came to Islam



All I have to say is all what you know already, to confirm what you already know, the message of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as given by God - the Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a consciousness and a duty that has placed us at the top of creation. Man is created to be God's deputy on earth, and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life. Anybody who misses this chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought back again and again, because it says in Qur'an Majeed that when man is brought to account, he will say, {O Lord, send us back and give us another chance} The Lord will say, {If I send you back you will do the same}



MY EARLY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING


I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in his original nature - it is only his parents that turn him to this or that religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in fact the door to God. This was more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all.


I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. And when they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.



POP STAR


Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made. He has a lot of money." The people around me influenced me to think that this was it; this world was their God.


I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a 'great life.' Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur'an, we make a promise, but when we make something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.)


So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).



IN HOSPITAL


After a year of financial success and 'high' living, I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allah, a chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in bed?" - and I started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower power,' and this was the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital.


One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized, 'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will lead you where it wants to go.


Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new termino- logy I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path.


I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out." I became even more famous in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society.


I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity prevailed.



THE QUR'AN


When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur'an, which he gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and thought I might find something in it also.


And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me - who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was to be a Muslim.


I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as Al-Islam. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading the Qur'an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to overlap the other.


Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.


When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'an, and God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur'an also speaks on different l I began to understand it on anothlevel, where the Qur'an says, {Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are brothers} Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.



CONVERSION


Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens." He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I received the Qur'an.

Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jumma' I went to the Imam and declared my faith (the Kalima) at this hands. You have before you someone who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur'an. Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told me, "You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salat. This is the process of purification.


Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah and pray that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like to stress that I did not come into contact with any

Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Ameen!


:w:
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Muslim Woman
03-11-2007, 06:44 AM


Salaam/peace,


format_quote Originally Posted by shible
:sl:

An Article Worth Sharing

Cat Stevens : How I came to Islam


Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Ameen!



jazak Allah. thanks for sharing.

listen to Yusuf Islam.




Yusuf Islam

Bismillah

Dostoruna Al-Qur'an

Peace

The Adhan

Say He is Allah

http://www.islamonline.net/English/A...re/audio.shtml


multimedia presentation:


---pl. enjoy.....excellent :D



The Life of The Last Prophet (by Yusuf Islam )



http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/sunnah


" Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah. " Quran 33:21
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'Abd al-Baari
03-11-2007, 12:46 PM
Jazakallah for sharing the article bro
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shible
03-11-2007, 04:22 PM
:sl:


format_quote Originally Posted by Muslim Woman


listen to Yusuf Islam.

http://www.islamonline.net/English/A...s/Audio/06.jpg


Yusuf Islam

Bismillah

Dostoruna Al-Qur'an

Peace

The Adhan

Say He is Allah

http://www.islamonline.net/English/A...re/audio.shtml


Mashallah good work.
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Pk_#2
03-11-2007, 04:24 PM
AsalamuAlaykum Warahmatullah,

JazakAllah bro Shible and sis Muslim Woman!

Tc :)
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czgibson
03-11-2007, 04:34 PM
Greetings,
format_quote Originally Posted by Yusuf Islam
Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.
Apparently, Yuri Gagarin didn't: 'I don't see any god up here', he is reported to have said.

I find it slightly odd that Yusuf Islam continues to record music, which is forbidden by Islam. He released a new album last year, I think. Maybe he is slightly outside the mainstream of Islam because of this?

Peace
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shible
03-11-2007, 04:44 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by czgibson
Greetings,


Apparently, Yuri Gagarin didn't: 'I don't see any god up here', he is reported to have said.

I find it slightly odd that Yusuf Islam continues to record music, which is forbidden by Islam. He released a new album last year, I think. Maybe he is slightly outside the mainstream of Islam because of this?

Peace
Yet i knew not much about his latest songs

but i have heard his old releases and most of them are for encouraging childrens to know more about Islam. which is really not taken as a song on the whole but as music for educational purpose

As u have said he may be slightly outside the Stream

but According to Whom since all we hear is wat is published in net or newspapers.

God Knows the Best.

Yet our thinkings and thoughts are limited...
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Muslim Woman
03-12-2007, 03:47 AM


Salaam/peace,



format_quote Originally Posted by czgibson
.....

I find it slightly odd that Yusuf Islam continues to record music, which is forbidden by Islam. He released a new album last year, I think. Maybe he is slightly outside the mainstream of Islam because of this?

Peace

----when i hear Islamic songs of Yusuf Islam , Dawud Ali , Sami Yusuf ......i enjoy these very much.....these songs remind me of Allah (swt). I don't understand why many Muslims believe all kinds of songs are haraam.


I m trying hard to stop watching TV. Listening Islamic audio CD is helping me to stay away from tv. Why & how if i listen to Yusuf Islam or Dawud Ali's Life returns , What did i do today , Sami Yusuf ' Muallim ete , those can be harmful for my life hereafter ?

Islamic songs can be a beautiful & powerful Dawah instrument. There are many hadiths were it's mentioned that even women were singing & the Prophet (p) did not stop them . So , why can't we hear Islamic songs ?


I don't see much protest against TV channels.......i regularly wonder , how horrible might be TV channel's bad influences on our kids.....parents seem so reluctlant about it....parents are not at home & tv is open , kids are watching any channel they like. Is listening to Islamic songs much harmful than tv?







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shible
03-12-2007, 04:18 AM
Assalamu alaikkum (warah)

In that case sis u can check the below link since there is a clarification

here is the link

I need proof from The Noble Quran that music is haraam.
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Muslim Woman
03-12-2007, 04:01 PM


Salaam/peace ,



format_quote Originally Posted by shible
Assalamu alaikkum (warah)

In that case sis u can check the below link since there is a clarification

here is the link

I need proof from The Noble Quran that music is haraam.


--thanks for the link but i can't open it. Explorer closes down each time :enough!:

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shible
03-12-2007, 04:34 PM
I tried it it opens

try the below procedure

right click on the link and in properties choose

Open in New window

or


Goto the below path from Li forum


Basics of Islam
->Islamic Jurisprudence
->I need proof from The Noble Quran that music is haraam.
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