Things that are holding me back from reverting

First of all congratulations on being shown the right path.

keep reading about little rules that seem to me not from God. For example, growing the beard. I can't believe God would really care about that one. That seems to me to be a man-made idea or relic from the past. Not eating pork, not eating bacon seems like something that was a good idea hundreds of years ago but now is outdated. The hijab on women. That is fine if a woman wants to wear it, but if you don't, I wonder if it matters really to God. It seems to be another relic from the past. Music. Is it really haram? Come on. How is that possible? Music to me seems to be a wonderful thing that God created. I love music, it brings me closer to God.

Another thing is Wudu. That also seems to be a man-made relic from the past. Why would God care about you rinsing your nose out, rubbing water through your hair, washing your feet, etc?
Praying five times a day. I don't see how I could faithfully do that one. Prayer seems to me to be a personal thing between me and God, not something that I should have to do like clock work and have to say in another language that I don't even understand what I am saying.

brother think of it this way. Allah is exalted and great. He is the creator of the universe. He is exalted enough without our worshiping Him, in fact He doesnt care even if a single soul doesnt submit to Him. He does not need our worship and submission to make Him feel great, on the contrary, we need to submit to Him so that He doesnt punish us and reward us with jannah.

surah 3, ayah 97. In it are Signs Manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah,- those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.

Islam means submission and thats what its based on. We have to bow to Allah and spend our lives as He has commanded. The question that why should God care about this and that is irrelevant in the context of islam.Of course it doesnt affect God in anyway if we dont make wudu or dont observe hijab, it does affect us! He holds the power, not us. We have to obey him or incur his anger and go to hell.
and also, lets say you dont feel the need for salah, someone else finds no point in fasting, some other finds hijab useless, then how can i religion even exist? I feel such an argument is irrelevant in the context of any religion, let alone Islam.
And, from islamic point of view, being a lousy muslim is way better than being a non believer.
May Allah make the path of truth clear upon you, Ameen.

format_quote Originally Posted by rabimansur

hi brother how are you?

i will try to help you as soon as i can but before i start answering your questions i would ask you question do you believe that there is only one god and his angels ans his massengers including Adam ibrahim ...mohammed and his books torah gosbel quran and the day of judgment and qada w qadar?

then i would like to tell you that islam is not about your opinions
or desires because we know that anything that has been forbidden is from God s wisdom

I just thought I'd post a few things here about reverting and maybe someone can respond to them.
First of all, what I like about Islam-

It treats people equally, no racism or putting one ethnicity above another. I also like that it believes in ONE God and the whole idea of Shirk. God has no sons or daughters, is not a man, etc.
I also like that the Qur'an has not been altered. And I love the idea that it is a continuation of the message of the prophets. I also love that Muslims are to be hard-working and serve Allah. And they are modest people. I also like that it is easy to revert and you don't have to go through a bunch of steps to join Islam.
I can accept that there is no God but God. And I can accept that Muhammad(S) was a messenger of God.
So, based on the above, I could revert and say the Shahadah, but I wouldn't be a very good Muslim for the following reasons.

The things holding me back are:
I keep reading about little rules that seem to me not from God. For example, growing the beard. I can't believe God would really care about that one. That seems to me to be a man-made idea or relic from the past.

i am glad to answer your first question,regarding growing the beared is from authantic hadith not from God directly but we know that if we obey God then we have to obey his massenger by the way its not a big sin and you can ask forgiveness from God,


Not eating pork, not eating bacon seems like something that was a good idea hundreds of years ago but now is outdated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EetZU4y44-k

islam is not about time

The hijab on women. That is fine if a woman wants to wear it, but if you don't, I wonder if it matters really to God. It seems to be another relic from the past.

brother let me tell you something i think you are living in an open society
am i right? if so i would like to tell you something take it as an advice
dont expect God thinking like humanbeing,the word in English for hijab is veil or covering.why is hijab?
do you know that the western society has one of the highest rates of rape for more informations go to http://www.islamicvoice.com/october.98/zakir.htm

Music. Is it really haram? Come on. How is that possible? Music to me seems to be a wonderful thing that God created. I love music, it brings me closer to God.

the short answer for this question is because it takes you away from the quran because you are not muslim yet so you cant imagine that by the way there are many sorts of music some are ok, There is considerable variation on this topic,and its not a big sin ,if you want to be a realy realy good muslim you have to avoid it


Another thing is Wudu. That also seems to be a man-made relic from the past. Why would God care about you rinsing your nose out, rubbing water through your hair, washing your feet, etc?

islam cares about a person to be clean,there are also several benefits from wdu as refreashing your self.try to do wudu then you will see it by your self

Praying five times a day. I don't see how I could faithfully do that one. Prayer seems to me to be a personal thing between me and God, not something that I should have to do like clock work and have to say in another language that I don't even understand what I am saying.

first of all you will know how to pray and understanding what are you saying,do you know the slat is to show whether you are a real believer or not,not just saying i believe this is islam ,as you know islam is about submitting to God and this life we as muslims we know its a test from God and we believe its the only way and its not easy but remember if you are sincere with God it will benefit you,and your duaa will be answered if you are sincere


Whenever I listen to some Sheikh on internet TV more rules are brought up. I hear Muslims call in with questions and worrying about whether they can do this or that.
these people how are asking questions do care about God by the way every thing is allowed in islam except which has been forbidden in quran or the teaching of prophet sunnah

Things like wearing gold, shaving your eyebrows, wearing make-up, whether women's ankles should show during prayer, etc. That seems to be a lot of nit-picking over nothing. I couldn't follow all those little rules.

actually you dont have to but its better unless if you believe that God knows better than you

Ramadan. I doubt I would be very good at fasting. It would probably harm me and my health would suffer and I would end up sick.

ramadan will teach you how to be patience and trust me brother if God knows that fasting will harm us actually its the opposite of that he will never make it an obligation for us

It also bothers me that there are Shias, Sunnis, Hannafis, extremists, etc.


But I guess that is man-made invention. Too bad all Muslims can't agree.

yes its man made and there is a verse and hadith talk about that but let us agree that hanfi has no problem with the teaching of prophet mohammed which is sunni by the way 85% of muslims are sunni

sunnah in arabic mens some thing that had been done ,but in this case some thing had been done by prophet mohammed.

so brother to conclude this i would suggest you to embrace islam even if you feel that you cant give up somethings,and dont forget to ask God that you are sincere and say to him show me the right path i am sure he will answer you ^^

Don't get me wrong, I have found a lot of things I like so far in learning about Islam, but there are still some things holding me back. If anyone wants to take a stab at some of the above it would be appreciated.

Would I be better off not reverting, or should I revert but be a "lousy" Muslim? Which is better? if you believe in God then its the only choice a trust me it will be hard at first then it will be much easier and it will benefit you

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Would I be better off not reverting, or should I revert but be a "lousy" Muslim? Which is better?

The latter. If you revert but remain a lousy muslim, at least you can be removed from hell after you have been cleansed from sins. The same cannot be said if you don't revert at all. You'd eternally be in hell. Even the Prophet Muhammad's (Sallalahu Alaihe Wasalam) own uncle, though he was really helpful to the Prophet, is in hell because he didn't accept faith.

However, the punishment of hell is no small matter and thinking about it should jolt us into being good muslims.

The big issue is once we affirm that Allah exists and Muhammad, peace be upo him, was indeed his Prophet and Messenger, it becomes incumbent upon us to follow what he revealed.

It would be illogical to judge revelation in light of our limited perceptions of what is and isn't good for us.

There has to be submission, once we have decisive confirmation.

Peace.

Salaam!!
Firstly I am not a muslim so these questions I will answer only through my love of our great and almighty Creator.
Firstly I believe that any rule God gives would only be for either reason:
- To show our obedience to His will
- To keep us safe
Usually both commands God gives will do both of these things, He is our Master and knows all the wonderful and good things.
The wearing of the hijab is some thing I have trouble with also. I wear modest clothing, never show my chest, thighs and I struggle to see how showing my hair is hardly sexual but if the Q'oran is true (and I am seeking to find this out) then this rule is a rule that God has commanded us. Surely it is not right to question why the maker of the entire universe and of humanity has told us to do some thing, we do not and can not know better than that great being but I do hear you I struggle with understanding exactly "why" the hijab is so crucial and I'll probably put the "beard" thing in this catagory also!
Pork is actually a very fatty meat (and I enjoy eating it) but I do notice after eating it I feel a bit bloated. Science has proven that pork can be linked to bowel cancer and other problems. So I think this is probably another case of our Almighty knows best.
Music I feel should be wholesome. The lyrics in some mainstream music today glorify violence, drugs, sex and in music videos women are exploited, these are sinful and by listening to such things we subconciously consent to these things. We allow these words to travel in our own personal sphere when these are NOT good things.
Some music can be truly beautiful. I love to listen to classical music and the talent those players have is truly a gift from God.
Our bodys are sacred to God I feel, we are His creations, it must be clean as that is pleasing unto God I am sure. I do not understand wudu but if the Q'oran is truth then again these cleaning rituals are cammands of God to keep His creation (our body) clean and pure.
I personally find the five prayer idea very attractive as it gives the believer a chance to show a commitment and a submission to the will of the almighty Creator. Though why it must be in Arabic and not in English our native tongue I too struggle with. Surely God is the God of all nations and if this is so, why the importance of one language?
The different branches of Islam, Shia, Sunni, and more worryingly extremists is some thing that has put me of learning of Islam any further in the past. However the true test of this life and how we will be judged on the final day I feel will be this - What did we feel was right and then did we act upon that knowledge.
The right is what will benefit us and help us to be the best we can become, it will benefit humanity, in terms of our families our immediate communities and the wider global sphere. So too will it please God as it will show our submission to him and willingness to obey Him and to do His will.
I think that worrying about if we can do this or if we can do that can be a very over whelming state of mind. I feel it is better to think I will try my best at this, and will over come that because that is what makes us a better person in the long run not worrying about if we are doing everything "perfectly" because after all we are inperfect it is only our Almighty who is perfect.
I hope my answers where of some use.

format_quote Originally Posted by rabimansur

I just thought I'd post a few things here about reverting and maybe someone can respond to them.
First of all, what I like about Islam-

It treats people equally, no racism or putting one ethnicity above another. I also like that it believes in ONE God and the whole idea of Shirk. God has no sons or daughters, is not a man, etc.
I also like that the Qur'an has not been altered. And I love the idea that it is a continuation of the message of the prophets. I also love that Muslims are to be hard-working and serve Allah. And they are modest people. I also like that it is easy to revert and you don't have to go through a bunch of steps to join Islam.


I can accept that there is no God but God. And I can accept that Muhammad(S) was a messenger of God.
So, based on the above, I could revert and say the Shahadah, but I wouldn't be a very good Muslim for the following reasons.

Its pleasing to see that you realise that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His final Messenger from a chain of many before him.

But what does this belief entail? Doesn't it actually entail that we believe there is no God [the Knowing, the Wise Lawmaker] sends a message to a human Messenger who will give us guidance, even if we can't totally comprehend everything he conveyed?


If you believe in the logic of Islam being the truth and superior to all other aspects of life, then you have to by default - accept all that comes along with the package.


Allah says about such people [meaning];

Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the reward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do.

These are the people who buy the life of this world at the price of the Hereafter: their penalty shall not be lightened nor shall they be helped.

[Quran 2:85-6]

Let's move onto the other points you made, maybe to clear some doubts.


First, it would be best for you to fulfill the 5 pillars of Islam. These pillars are;

1 - To declare the shahadah [testimony of faith].
2 - To Establish the 5 daily prayers.
3 - To give Zakah/Charity [2.5% of your wealth per every lunar year.]
4 - To fast in the month of Ramadan.
5 - To Perform Hajj to the Holy House in Makkah, if you are able - atleast once in your lifetime.

1) To believe in your heart is not sufficient, but you have to show that through profession on the tongue, and through your limbs.

2) So you are ordered to pray, because trust me - you will be misguided if you don't stop to ask Allah to guide you. This is FACT. A soul cannot be nourished on a personal prayer alone. Many times we would forget personal prayers, but the obligated prayer makes you feel disciplined, and keeps you aware that you will stand infront of God later in the day, aswell as a continuous reminder that you WILL stand infront of Him on Judgment Day to answer for your actions.

3) Zakah literally means to 'purify' your wealth. This is your share of charity, and Allah's right upon you. If you were to say that you would give in optional charity anyway, then know that Allah rewards more for the obligations we fulfill than the optional ones we complete.

4) A person who fasts is disciplined. You learn patience, inner strength, and you overcome your desires. This in effect makes you a powerful human, since nothing can really sway you of desire. If a person is unable to fast, they have to feed one poor person every fast they miss [Fidyah], and they have to catch it up later if they are able to.

5) If you are able to financially and physically perform the Hajj in Makkah, it is an obligation to perform this once in your lifetime. This reminds you of Judgment Day, but it also reminds you of the unity of Muslims. An experience which inspires many, and even makes you richer as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said.


You should work on them 5 pillars, that is the best starting point for you as a Muslim. After that, the other issues can be taken as they come.

Would I be better off not reverting, or should I revert but be a "lousy" Muslim? Which is better?

It is better to be a sinful Muslim then to die as a non-Muslim, since the shahadah/testimony of faith will be a proof for you on Judgment Day, inshaa' Allah [we hope, God willing.]

Asalamo aleacom brother rabimansur

I hope the following information help you increase your knowledge about Islam. May Allah Guide you to his path and enlighten your heart with the truth

Regarding Wudu
Personal Hygiene - Cleanliness is Half of Faith
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/2149/

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Regarding Praying (Salat)
The Second Pillar of Islam: the Prayer
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/9/
Worship in Islam: The Meaning of Worship
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/222/
Worship in Islam: The Outer Forms of Worship
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/221/
Worship in Islam: The Comprehensiveness of Worship
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/220/
The Spirit of Worship in Islam - Worship and Prayer
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/644/
The Spirit of Worship in Islam- The Prayer and Fasting
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/647/
The importance of prayer
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/2870/

“Practices of Worship”

1. “Jesus purified himself with washing prior to prayer, as was the practice of the pious prophets who preceded him (see Exodus 40:31-32 in reference to Moses and Aaron), and as is the practice of Muslims.”
2. “Jesus prayed in prostration (Matthew 26:39), like the other prophets (see Nehemiah 8:6 with regard to Ezra and the people, Joshua 5:14 for Joshua, Genesis 17:3 and 24:52 for Abraham, Exodus 34:8 and Numbers 20:6 for Moses and Aaron”
4. “The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca is well known, and is alluded to in the Bible
Source:Laurence B. Brown
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Regarding Praying in one language - Arabic
““Muslims all over the world use one language only, which is Arabic, in calling upon their God in their worship, prayers, during pilgrimage and in their greetings to each other. This unity of language had been prophesied in Zephaniah 3:9 :“For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”The above prophecy about the ONENESS OF LANGUAGE is very noteworthy! Only Islam has this uniqueness about using one language in calling upon Allah, the Rabb of the Alamien. The name of God is Allah, which is a pure word, which cannot be corrupted - every person, be it a German, Bosnian, Chinese, Indian, American, Turk or of any nation, who is a Muslim, calls upon Allah only in Arabic.”” Source: Dr Zakir Naik

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Regarding fasting Ramadan
The Fourth Pillar of Islam: The Fast of Ramadan
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/47/
A Month of Blessings
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/2733/
Ramadan and Fasting
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/624/viewall/
The Spirit and Ramadan
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1709/
Why Do Muslims Fast?
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/639/viewall/
The Prophet in Ramadan
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1708/
Why Muslims Love the Month of Ramadan
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1753/
Ramadan Concludes..What happens now?
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1777/

“Jesus fasted (Matthew 4:2 and Luke 4:2), as did the pious before him (Exodus 34:28, I Kings 19:8), and as do Muslims in the annual fast of the month of Ramadan.” Source:Laurence B. Brown

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Grace, Faith and Works: The Components of Faith
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1165/viewall/

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Regarding the hijab

Humility
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1693/
Modesty: An overview
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/21/
Modesty: Stories on Modesty
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/398/
The veil
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/285/

The hijab can also be found in previous scriptures:
"But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. For if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil."" "(1 Corinthians 11:5-7)

"So Islam didn’t invent the veil, it merely endorsed it. However, while Paul presented the veil as a sign of man’s authority, Islam clarifies that it is simply a sign of faith, modesty and chastity which serves to protect the devout from molestation." Ben Adams, Source: http://www.islamreligion.com

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Regarding extremism
Was Islam Spread by the Sword?
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/677/
The Tolerance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) towards Other Religions
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/207/viewall/
Let There Be No Compulsion in Religion
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/661/
The Rights of Non-Muslims in Islam
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/374/viewall/
What Does Islam say About Terrorism
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/238

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More information will be included in Sha Allah, Wasalamo aleacom

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Discover the Truth about Islam
http://www.theradiantlight.blogspot.com/

Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him)
http://www.rasoulallah.net/

Islamic invitation
http://www.islamic-invitation.com/

I am so very happy that you have realized that you are on the right straight path, brother rabimansur!

May Allah SWT always guide you on the straight path and give you strength in eeman.

Has he said the shahaada?

Asalamo aleacom warahmato Allah wabarakato brother rabimansur
Masha Allah, I am very happy that you realised your true path too. Its wonderful to hear, Alhamdo lillah.

Wasalamo aleacom warahmato Allah wabarakato
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"When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way." (The Holy Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 186)
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