Islam - Hard Way or Easy Way? - A Discussion

Islam is about following the example of the Prophet (saws). If you think that's easy, think again.

Try

1. Controlling your tongue, speaking good, avoiding gossip, back biting, criticizing, slander......

2. Controlling your anger.

3. Lowering your gaze.

4. Being just and impartial.

5. Being merciful and kind.

6. Having compassion....

7. Avoiding pride and prejudice....

8. Avoiding greed... and giving in to temptations of this world

9. Hard work, toil and struggle, selflessness and sacrifice

10. Patience through all periods... of good and bad.

etc. etc. etc......

format_quote Originally Posted by member X

lol there is no wrong answer here. Depends on which angle and perspective u look at it from.

lol. This is a discussion. Healthy one I hope.

I'm on the side of Hard Way. Whose side are you on?

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

lol. This is a discussion. Healthy one I hope.

I'm on the side of Hard Way. Whose side are you on?

I'm on the right side, and the right side is either side

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

lol. This is a discussion. Healthy one I hope.

I'm on the side of Hard Way. Whose side are you on?

I have to agree that Islam is not easy at all. To learn Islam is not that difficult but to put it into practice is difficult. The list you mentioned can be very difficult to overcome for some people.

format_quote Originally Posted by Guestfellow

I have to agree that Islam is not easy at all. To learn Islam is not that difficult but to put it into practice is difficult. The list you mentioned can be very difficult to overcome for some people.

Aha! I got someone on my side.

Acquiring knowledge and learning isn't as hard, though I must say it isn't easy either. The Prophet (saws) said that whoever goes in search of knowledge is in jihad.

So the acquisition of knowledge is a mandatory duty upon all Muslims. But that's the beginning of hardship. What's more difficult is applying what you know..... putting it into practice.

How many people give up the way of Islam because it's hard? Only Allah knows. But it's a fact that people do leave Islam because they find the rules too intimidating and hard to follow.

Especially new Muslims. They face the hardest struggle of all.

1. They are in an environment that doesn't make practice of Islam easy.

2. Their family members are not Muslim and that being the case, often times there is much hostility to deal with.

3. They have to battle it out alone. Such is not the case with people who are born into Muslim families.... where the structure is already established: prayers are done, the Qur'an is recited and read, intermingling with the Muslim community, participating in Eid celebrations, fasting, ways of dressing, growing a beard for men, wearing the hijab for women.....

4. Unlearning all the wrong things they had been taught.

5. Getting rid of bad habits developed over the years.... you got to admit this isn't going to be easy at all.

6. Facing criticism from Muslims for their mistakes.

7. Problems adjusting at work. Criticism from colleagues, being made fun of, laughed at and even losing jobs.

8. Making hard decisions.... such as leaving a husband who is not Muslim or divorcing a wife who is polytheist.

Assalaamu Alaaykum

I must say I agree Islaam is easy and hard..and ofcourse seeking knowledge is easier than applied or implemented as mentioned..
but Islaam is a religion that is a complete way of life so Allaah SWT does make things easy for us when we strive hard.

"So verily, with the hardship, there is relief,Verily, with the hardship, there is relief (i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one hardship cannot overcome two reliefs).So when you have finished (from your occupation), then stand up for Allah\'s worship (i.e. stand up for prayer). And to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your intentions and hopes and) your invocations." [Al Qur'aan 94: 5-8]

Notice how Allaah SWT mentions "Verily, with the hardship, there is relief" twice. so if we strive and make our intention to be able to overcome the certain difficulty while asking help from Allaah SWT, he will certainly grant ease.

I believe it is mentioned in Hadeeth Qudsi "My servant will take a single step towards me and I will take 10 steps towards him, if my servant walks towards me I will run to him" along those lines ..

So if one strives to do something that is difficult for his Allmighty's sake then Allaah make it easy upon his servant..but it isnt as simple as that, many beauties are required, sabr, tawakkal and hope is required this would fit in the list for one who strives..if that makes sense

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

3. They have to battle it out alone. Such is not the case with people who are born into Muslim families.... where the structure is already established: prayers are done, the Qur'an is recited and read, intermingling with the Muslim community, participating in Eid celebrations, fasting, ways of dressing, growing a beard for men, wearing the hijab for women.....

Unfortunately even many muslims who arent reverts, have to deal with such situations for example if the family is muslim yet they do not implement parts of Islaam.

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

5. Getting rid of bad habits developed over the years.... you got to admit this isn't going to be easy at all.

I believe this is a journey for all muslims of getting rid of bad habits.

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

7. Problems adjusting at work. Criticism from colleagues, being made fun of, laughed at and even losing jobs.

Even for those who are not new reverts, they have to deal with such situations. Also from experience muslims have had to face criticism from their own muslim fellow brothers and sisters sadly.

Jazakallaahu Khaayr.. I hope i havent seemed harsh and if I have said anything incorrect please feel free to correct me..

may Allaah SWT ease our hardships and grant us happiness in both this life and the hereafter Aameen..

Look at it this way. Is sweeping the floor easy or hard? It all depends on whether you are willing or not. Tell a child to sweep the floor and see what happens.

If the child is willing, he will glide gaily over the floor and have it spick and span in next to no time.

If the child is unwilling, the broom will suddenly seem to weigh ten tons. It will seem to have sprout a thousand tentacles that cause it to knock and bump against every single leg of every single table and chair in the room. The child will finish the job hot and flustered and the floor is no cleaner than it was before he started.

Ditto for Islam.

If your heart is willing, nothing that Allah tells you to do is difficult. Otherwise it is going to be one long, miserable uphill battle.

Salaam Sis
I wanted to join but there are somethings i think i would like to share:

quote=Riham;1449382]3. They have to battle it out alone. Such is not the case with people who are born into Muslim families.... where the structure is already established: prayers are done, the Qur'an is recited and read, intermingling with the Muslim community, participating in Eid celebrations, fasting, ways of dressing, growing a beard for men, wearing the hijab for women..... [/quote]

Believe me this is not true at all if it was true then why would 9 out of ten born Muslims leave Islam in America.
Being born a Muslim doesn't necessarily mean you are a Muslim. Islam is not a definition you put on your ID card.
The Truth comes from it's source so , if you haven't been in the situation it's better not to comment on it.
Most Born Muslims today force their children to engage in Un-Islamic things, they actualy force them, or else the person will be under severe pressure from the surroundings, many want to wear the Hijab , Be good Muslims but everyone around them will either call them a hypocrite or they wall starts calling them things like OH there's Mr.Taliban or Al-Qaeda.Their parents tell them that they don't know religion better than they do.. they also have it hard you know, May God ease the pain of every human being who is suffering. We should consider the fact that most born Muslims today are either on the extreme(things like the little girl wearing the Hijab before she's 6 years old , let alone not even reaching the age of puberty , very strict laws toward the female , very lenient towards the males.. also culture plays a big role , most Islamic communities are cultural ones i first place then what is compatible with culture from Islam can be followed). We have to be careful, because most born Muslims today including my self are not religious , nor do they have much religious guidance they are very ignorant of their religion i will be speaking of my self , i said it before and i will say it again I had absolutely no knowledge of Islam at all, The society used to tell us that Pray, Fast ..of course as a routine , then when you get older , you know a little into your 60's maybe that's even too early you know get into your 70's then you can be religous hermit and then God is All-Forgiving All-Mercifull , at least you have the Key to Salvation (LA illah illa Allah Muhammad Rasoul Allah) little did i know that this key has absolutely no benefit if there was no sincere action based on faith done. I'll tell you one thing the born Muslim will not be a respected family member everyone will mock them and laugh at them because Now He/She is Mr/Mrs Religious they don't even treat them as brothers and sisters in humanity any more because now they are different and all, of course loosing all your friends is garunteed -----Let me please notify all that i mentioned happened happens to Born Muslim - But they are trying to practice or implement their religion and all this "Hostile"* treatment is also from Born Muslims, Not Non-Muslims
Let me tell you something , in my country there's a big majority of Muslims ruled by culture and Society hardly any women could have gotten to go to school before the British left our country and Sadly i say that -There was a guy in one of the secondary schools in the capital he used to live in America for a very long while so he didn't even speak a word except English , He had to take the Islamic studies class so the teacher told them a story about one of the Sahabah , and at the end of the class the guy asked the teacher if the story she narrated was a True story and if it really happened? See it's Ignorance we can't blame or compare because it's everywhere. I was exactly like this guy i mentioned....


The celebrations in many born Muslims communities are not seen except as merely nothing but a social gathering there is no significance to it at all, would you like to see come and visit any Muslim Country in Ramadhan did you know that the amount of spending is much more higher than the normal months of the year?.Open the Tv and let's see how everyone is celebrating Ramadhan OO well you have to have big time Money in order to survive this month in some Islamic countries,From my small simple experience Ramadhan has hardly anything to do with God in those materialistic or superficial societies as they don't focus on its spiritual significance except of course Allahuma observing not putting anything into your mouth but other than that Materialism at it's best!!
Being a Muslim is something strange to all people whether they are born Muslims or New Reverts, But No one can really blame them , especially because we know that almost everyone Today is hugely affected by the Western Media, we are all weak and we all fall into mistakes, the situation is the same for everyone, anyone who wants to live by a moral code that the people around him/her do not really recognize then they will be hurt , and to be honest it doesn't only happen with Muslims it happens with followers of other religions as well.

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

4. Unlearning all the wrong things they had been taught.

Well , I think that you don't have to unlearn everything you have been taught in your life , it brings with experience and there is nothing better than Empirical Knowledge , you know you can benefit and feel related to many people because of your past experiences and you would give/ have a better understanding than those that didn't go through similar experiences.

format_quote Originally Posted by Riham

6. Facing criticism from Muslims for their mistakes.

Criticism is every where , the moment i say I don't like this --- This would be an expression of criticism by most people. But Saying that Muslims criticise alot, is not fair because it is a part of human nature, so every one else will also say the things they like and don't like in their religion or it's people , in many stories i've read many ex-christians said that they didn't like the hypocrisy they saw, is that criticism yes it is even if someone doesn't realise it . But to be honest Muslim are very caring towards those that reverted to Islam because they like it when they see that some one was guided to the Path of God. Infact Born Muslims have Big respect and Non of them would actually dare to "criticise" a new revert , because they beleive that reverts are more favored and loved by God Almighty----This observation is from my surroundings and things may not be like this every where.

I think we shouldn't be whinning about how bad we get treated because of Islam , If someone thinks Islam is hard and they are going to complain the whole time about it then it is not a good thing at all.
We must always think of how many people out there are suffering from things that we can't even bear for a second. For example:
Every 6 seconds/ not minutes someone is dying out hunger.
The amount of victims of rape in Africa , or any other part of the World.
There 800 million illiterate people in our world.
There are Children being treated in the most brutal way by their bullies only 6 and 7 years old , they either end up being killed or suicide.
You will get the same rejectful reaction from most people IF:
- you were afflcited with Cancer: As i was watching this program and a little 8 year old was afflicted with cancer and all the children of the school left her, not only that but they kept posting in her locker that Cancer Kills ----Heartless and Cruel true but this brave child suffered more than most of us.
- You lost all the wealth you had , many so called "friends" will leave you and treat you in a hostile manner.
- pretty much if anything happened to you that isn't convenient, you will get rejectful reactions from people, but these are things we have to accept , if we did it for God then other things shouldn't matter , but we should always have sympathy and compassion towards people, because the Prophet PBUH used to say when people hurt him : God please forgive my people because the don't know.

*I wanted to share a story as well: There was a guy who used to serve in the military for a long time , and after the long war he decided to come back to his family on Thanks Giving Day , but before he arrived he decided to call them
The Son: Mom Dad i missed you so much , you can't imagine how much i longed to see you
The Parents: You can't imagine how much we missed you , when are you coming over?
The son: I'm coming this Thanks Giving weekend , but i have a friend and i want him to come over , is that okay?
The Parents: Of course son we would be delighted!
The Son: But i have one problem....
The Parents:What's the matter son,...?
The Son: My friend had lost and eye, and a an arm , and also leg and he is in a wheeling chair....
The Parents: But my dear you know that this might cause some type of discomfort to us is it okay if you apologised and made an excuse...
.................................................. .....................The Phone hang up...

2 weeks later the parents receive a phone call , that informs them that they found a dead body and they identified it as their son's body.
When the parents arrived to the station they found the body covered with blood , but little did they know the friend their own son was speaking of , was their own son and he decided to call 2 weeks before to see if his own parents would have accepted his new state, but the poor guy was devastated after the last phone call he had with his parent's and he decided to suicide.

I have nothing to comment on , but to me this is one story that withholds me from speaking about the so called " Hostile" treatment one may get from people. Because there it fails in comparision with many sad things happening in this world.


As for your Question -Is Islam the Hard or Easy way?Or in between?
I am in position to answer this as i have no knowledge nor am I a strong practicing Muslimah, But i think It depends.

Salaam P.s- Please don't ask me to explain why i joined this thread , i know i said i was going to leave but i am a person that has no determination and consistency in what they do.

Salaam

format_quote Originally Posted by Starrynight

Islam would be hard to follow if it wasn't in a persons heart.

If the faith in your heart is great, the greater would be the hardships.

Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: " Whenever Allah wills good for a person, He subjects him to adversity" [Bukharee and others]

The prophets and righteous people are afflicted the most, and their rewards are the highest. Sa'd (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: " The most in their suffering among the people are the prophets, then the best, then the (next) best. One is afflicted in accordance with his deen (faith). If his deen is firm his affliction is hard, and if his deen is weak, his affliction is light. Indeed, one would be so much subjected to adversity until he walks among the people without any sins. " [Ahmad, Tirmithee]

Paradise is surrounded by hardships and difficulties. If the way of Islam leads to Paradise, then most certainly it will be a hard way.

The way of Islam is hard. No wonder we pray to Allah seeking His help a minimum of five times a day.

format_quote Originally Posted by May Ayob

and also the easier will be that of acceptance of those hardships ....Hardships are not a burden they are blessing .... the Prophet never complained about them Did he?

One who has faith accepts whatever comes his way. Nothing is a burden to him and thus, he doesn't complain. But that doesn't mean it's easy to bear the burden. It's difficult and therefore the reward for that endurance is also greater.

By the way, we're not discussing how a person responds to hardships.

We're discussing whether Islam is hard way or easy way.... and giving evidence to support our opinions.

format_quote Originally Posted by member X

In the beginning it may be hard.. but after a believer trains his nafs, he reaches the station of patience and then these are like second nature to him. May Allaah make us of those.

I'm glad it has been recognized that the way is hard. The way that leads to Paradise is hard..... and that path is tread upon by seekers of knowledge.

Prophet (saw) said,"Whoever goes down a path/road searching for knowledge, Allah will make it easy for him the road to Paradise ." [Saheeh Muslim, Vol.3 Hadith No. 99]


So the key to it all is seeking knowledge. With knowledge things are easy. Without it things are bound to get very difficult.