But why Islam?

[believer]

I think any religious debate with an atheist inevitably converges on a discussion about evolution and the probability of the existence of a deity - but Woodrow and MustafaMC are right – this was not a debate about the strength of evolution as a scientific theory.

I like the paraphrasing NoName55, that made me smile. I’ll answer the last part; have I read the Quran? No I must admit I haven’t read it in its entirety but I can justify my reasons for not doing so. In fact I suppose this is why I asked the question in the first place: But why Islam?

When believer paraphrased one of my posts I believe he was attempting to liken atheism and religion, as if atheism was a belief system, the same as any other religion. On the surface this may seem valid but there is a fundamental difference. Atheism is NOT a belief system in exactly the same sense that science is NOT a belief system. A religion, like Islam, like Christianity, like Judaism requires ‘faith’; a belief in something without evidence and sometimes in the face of evidence to the contrary. And just to avoid the inevitable retort, the Quran (or Bible or whatever) cannot be called evidence. You as Muslims may believe it is but as I’ve discussed at great length there are, and have been over the course of human history, many more people who would completely disregard your holy book and all its teachings.

That said, I would not be averse to picking up a copy of the Quran and reading it. After all, a book that has influenced over a billion people is surely worth reading at least once (same could be said for the Bible). How about I promise to do so if you promise to read a copy of ‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins – a book that hasn’t done badly itself (over a million copies sold and translated into more than 25 languages)?

Any takers?

It's not a question of is it 'worhty' reading it or not?... you made it sound like... "I'm too sexy for my car". As a matter of fact... It is not the duty of Muslims to babysit non Muslims... If in case you will be reading the Qur'an... then - good for you! noone will benefit from it except you alone. If you don't - then it wouldn't really make a difference to the whole Muslim world.. I do hope you are not afraid of reading it... as I am not afraid of reading the book of richard dawkins 'Selfish Gene'.

As what I always say, if you think you have Gold in your hands... lets place it in vinegar.

Which reminds me of the Muslims in Philippines who are selling jewelries in the streets... this is an old Filipino Joke.... let me sidetrack for a while Ok.

here it goes... christian buys jewelry, then doubts the muslim seller... christian: "Is this Golden Jewelry Genuine?"... Muslim vendor says... "Of course it is... If you you don't believe then let's test it... here's a glass of Vinegar." christian dips it in the vinegar... and shortly... Jewelry turned Black.... christian stares at the muslim... Muslim looking at the vinegar...muslim responded..."hmmm, this vinegar is Genuine."

OK, ... anyway, the point is - If what you believe is in your conviction true. Then, there's no harm putting it to a test.

In fact, even God tests his slaves... all New Muslims are not spared from it. - There is nobody benefiting from anybody embracing Islam but the individual himself.

By the way, atheism according to the Qur'an (according to God) is a disease of the heart. This is why I look at atheism that way. I was once an atheist at one point in my life. I was once rationalizing almost everything in my life as if everything has a mathematical equivalent, formula and model. Although, everything is subject to physical laws... so what?... does it really matter anymore when your time on earth is counting down. In the end, all these time exerted into learning the unnecesary and the trivial will be useless.

An intelligent move is to be always prepared for the innevitable.... death.

If I die, I would die with a smile on my face. - this is why not - Islam? :statisfie

 

[Draco]

Hasn’t one book dictated your whole way of life Md Mashud?

A bit cheeky , I think beleiving one book as word of God and another as a scientists opinion on evolution is quite a huge leap. It doesn't help finding many flaws in evolutionist books, while I had never found a problem with the Quran.

Yes but a scientist’s opinion for me will never be the absolute truth or ‘word of God’ as you put it. I happen to agree with Dawkins now but I’d be quite willing to change my opinion if another person came up with new evidence to contradict his. I have no loyalty to any one scientist. In addition, I like to read the work of other scientists who disagree with Dawkins and the work of those who share the same opinion. All this information I use to help me make a decision about what I think is correct.

Despite what others may say, this is NOT what Islam encourages. The Quran is the word of God and therefore it must be correct. Why should a Muslim go around seeking evidence?

Incidentally, this notion that the Quran is the direct word of God is a real problem for Muslims in my opinion. If you subscribe to Islam then you are also subscribing to this idea, which means you are forced to defend it or risk having you’re faith undermined. I’m sure all the Muslims in this debate have, at one time or another, been forced to defend the accuracy of the Quran, even create loopholes in order to validate some of the book’s more outlandish verses. Abdul Fattah did just that in his post:

According to Islam God sometimes chooses to abandon habitual law and make miracles. To claim that a reference in the Qur'an to these miracles contradicts science is preposterous. The Qur'an never claimed that they happened under normal law of physics. <snip>

But isn’t that all too convenient? When the Quran speaks of miracles for which we generally feel sceptical about, you declare that God exists outside the laws of nature, giving him the ultimate loophole (I personally could write a book as ‘accurate’ as the Quran if I was given the luxury of that scapegoat – couldn’t you?).

 

[Md Mashud]

Yes but a scientist’s opinion for me will never be the absolute truth or ‘word of God’ as you put it.

Hence why I was shocked 1 book changed your mind so greatly - based on scientists opinion on unfactual theories, rather things that COULD happen but not yet proved.

Despite what others may say, this is NOT what Islam encourages. The Quran is the word of God and therefore it must be correct. Why should a Muslim go around seeking evidence?

I don't know what you mean. Seeking evidence for what? You see, imaan is faith - faith increases/decreases. The more you understand the World around, the more you understand Islam, the more likely your faith is to go up. Just because muslims claim Quran is definatly God's word and prophet :saw: is the real messenger - doesnt mean there faith is 100% clenched to it. Similarly, many people who believe in evolution may infact still have doubts, despite stating it. This is more true about these times, wheir imaan in people is not as strong as in the early days of Islam - mostly due to disunity in the Ummah and im sure their are other valid reasons for this - but it would be complex to describe them in a sociological manner.

Incidentally, this notion that the Quran is the direct word of God is a real problem for Muslims in my opinion. If you subscribe to Islam then you are also subscribing to this idea, which means you are forced to defend it or risk having you’re faith undermined

Well you see, you say you are forced. But, if you truly was a Muslim - you would have done the litmus test already - and believed the Quran is true. Their is no forcing after this. I don't know about this reference to Abdul Fattah - but I know he isn't a scholar.

Also, I have a problem with one of your things:

even create loopholes in order to validate some of the book’s more outlandish verses

I disagree. The meaning of the Quran is unchanged for 1400 years, what I mean is, what the verses meant the day it was revealed, means exactly the same today. There is no changing to suit modern needs. Rather, people mistranslate, or miscomprehend due to ambiguity of the text because of unskilled arabic. Did you know, to make tafsir of the Quran, you must be a Mujtahid - a qualification very hard to attain. If you see Quran's in museums over 1000 years old, you will notice, on the boarders of the pages, their is narration - the narration is to explain what the verses mean. People knew that, people cannot be relied in the future to keep the meaning same and may misguide themselves and others by trying to fork out meanings - thus it was actually preserved - somthing very few people know of - Hence why you hear people always accusing people of moulding the Quran to modern science - This couldn't be further from the truth.

But isn’t that all too convenient? When the Quran speaks of miracles for which we generally feel sceptical about, you declare that God exists outside the laws of nature, giving him the ultimate loophole (I personally could write a book as ‘accurate’ as the Quran if I was given the luxury of that scapegoat – couldn’t you?).

I do not agree, infact Im not sure what this is all about to be honest. You are skeptic that they did not happen? That is your opinion, but I do not see why the Quran has to make out miracles or even to explain it. Infact, you wonder, if someone was to lie and make a mallicious book - Their aim would be to convince people, adding miracles you can say does not sell to the people? Alot of the nature of the content in the Quran, makes me believe it was made by God, things like the mentioning of very early history - and even Phaeros body - and so many other things - you think wow, who on Earth had the time to write this? Surely not the illiterate man.

 

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

But isn’t that all too convenient? When the Quran speaks of miracles for which we generally feel sceptical about, you declare that God exists outside the laws of nature, giving him the ultimate loophole (I personally could write a book as ‘accurate’ as the Quran if I was given the luxury of that scapegoat – couldn’t you?).

And that's the biggest challenge given to mankind who think otherwise about the Qur'an No one has yet succeeded, not even the people who spoke the language perfectly. You can try. Good luck.

 

[Abdul Fattah]

But isn’t that all too convenient? When the Quran speaks of miracles for which we generally feel sceptical about, you declare that God exists outside the laws of nature, giving him the ultimate loophole (I personally could write a book as ‘accurate’ as the Quran if I was given the luxury of that scapegoat – couldn’t you?).

I don't think it's a loophole, I think it's a limitation of science. Science builds on the assumption that everything always happens in the same way. You might see convience, I might refute you're biased. Basically it's just opinions. What matters is that your judging stuff by the wrong standards.

 

[Draco]

I do hope you are not afraid of reading it... as I am not afraid of reading the book of richard dawkins 'Selfish Gene'.

I suspect you are afraid of reading it. Let me know if you do read it though.

By the way, atheism according to the Qur'an (according to God) is a disease of the heart. This is why I look at atheism that way. I was once an atheist at one point in my life. I was once rationalizing almost everything in my life as if everything has a mathematical equivalent, formula and model. Although, everything is subject to physical laws... so what?... does it really matter anymore when your time on earth is counting down. In the end, all these time exerted into learning the unnecesary and the trivial will be useless.

An intelligent move is to be always prepared for the innevitable.... death.

If I die, I would die with a smile on my face. - this is why not - Islam? :statisfie

Death is inevitable that’s true. The sad thing for you is that you think there is something after it and you therefore live your life according to an ancient doctrine. Someone in this debate asked me earlier what have you got to lose by believing in God? What if you’re wrong when the day of judgement comes?

You say it’s intelligent to prepare for death, but let me turn that question on its head. What if you are wrong? What if you spend your one and only life living according to a set of rules laid down by a book someone wrote and there’s nothing after death? All the things your religion restricts you from experiencing, the time you spend adhering to rituals and praying, etc. All a waste of your one shot at living life in the way you see fit. I think you summed it up perfectly yourself:

"In the end, all these time exerted into learning the unnecesary and the trivial will be useless."

Oh well, it is not the duty of Atheists to baby-sit Muslims. I guess it won’t matter for you – you’ll die with a smile on your face and if there is no paradise you’ll never know any different anyway.

 

[Draco]

Hence why I was shocked 1 book changed your mind so greatly - based on scientists opinion on unfactual theories, rather things that COULD happen but not yet proved.

I think that was a different poster who said that one book changed his life. I just picked up on the Irony of a Muslim saying that. But anyhow, look who's basing his opinions on, as you put it, "unfactual theories". If the Quran is based on things that COULD happen, by which I presume you mean anything supernatural (miracles and such), then any fiction book that was ever written COULD happen. I see know reason to elevate the Quran above all other fiction books based on this logic.

Well you see, you say you are forced. But, if you truly was a Muslim - you would have done the litmus test already - and believed the Quran is true. Their is no forcing after this.

The litmus test huh. And what does this entail exactly? Could it be a leap of faith? I understand that believing what Quran says once you believe it’s the word of God comes naturally. It’s the believing part in the first place that I have a problem with - the litmus test.

I do not agree, infact Im not sure what this is all about to be honest. You are skeptic that they [miracles] did not happen? That is your opinion, but I do not see why the Quran has to make out miracles or even to explain it. Infact, you wonder, if someone was to lie and make a mallicious book - Their aim would be to convince people, adding miracles you can say does not sell to the people? <snip>

Well if I had to write a book about someone (or something) that people would look up to and follow without question, I would want this person (or thing) to be superhuman and all powerful. After all, who would follow unquestionably, or pray five times a day to, or lay down their life for a regular man? So on the contrary, adding miracles and acts of the supernatural is exactly what sells it to people. It’s sold it to you hasn’t it?

 

[Draco]

I don't think it's a loophole, I think it's a limitation of science. Science builds on the assumption that everything always happens in the same way. You might see convience, I might refute you're biased. Basically it's just opinions. What matters is that your judging stuff by the wrong standards.

There it is again! Another loophole created by Abdul Fattah. Of course, science can’t explain it so it must be a limitation of science!

It’s not just opinions, science has that extra thing called evidence and the ability to test a theory. I’m not for one minute suggesting that science has all the answers (yet), but when someone (or a book) starts claiming supernatural occurrences, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be a little sceptical. Do you?

Getting back to topic, the bible proclaims miracles too and I’m willing to bet you’ll find miracles occurring in many religious texts so I don’t see the Quran as being special in this respect.

 

[NoName55]

^^ hello mr. scientist, I made two posts adressed to you, but you seem to have sent me to Coventry, why is that?

come on dude pick on me

 

[believer]

I suspect you are afraid of reading it. Let me know if you do read it though.



Death is inevitable that’s true. The sad thing for you is that you think there is something after it and you therefore live your life according to an ancient doctrine. Someone in this debate asked me earlier what have you got to lose by believing in God? What if you’re wrong when the day of judgement comes?

You say it’s intelligent to prepare for death, but let me turn that question on its head. What if you are wrong? What if you spend your one and only life living according to a set of rules laid down by a book someone wrote and there’s nothing after death? All the things your religion restricts you from experiencing, the time you spend adhering to rituals and praying, etc. All a waste of your one shot at living life in the way you see fit. I think you summed it up perfectly yourself:

"In the end, all these time exerted into learning the unnecesary and the trivial will be useless."

Oh well, it is not the duty of Atheists to baby-sit Muslims. I guess it won’t matter for you – you’ll die with a smile on your face and if there is no paradise you’ll never know any different anyway.

Contrary to the impression you have on me... I have experienced this world like any western guy did. Fact is, I was once living like a Cassanova in my own little world... I was once involved in Motorsports Racing (as a career)... but I enjoyed the wine, song and women that is associated after the races. I have also lived as a businessman rendering industrial security services to my clients... but what I enjoyed in that life was the beer, the fun, and the exchange of intellectual discussions with the company of PHD's and MBA's and who's who in the exclusive circles in my own sphere of influences...

I find no enjoyment to that life anymore... and yes, I do considered that life trivial. I find no peace in it. Moreover, I don't believe in paradise or God simply because of blind faith. The proof and evidences are all overwhelming. If there was no divine experience that has occured into my life... I would still be in the company of my night friends... reading a book during daytime... but enjoying life to the fullest in the evening time until daybreak.

I used to enjoy James Bond Movies - simply because his philosophy fits with mine... but this is all fantasy.

Atheists cannot baby-sit Muslims... why? because Muslims are in Good Hands... we are the most secured people on earth. So it is actually incorrect to say "It is not the duty of Atheists to Baby sit Muslims." If there's anyone who needs help here - it's only those who are outside the sphere of Islam.

Performing the rituals at first was really a great burden... but when you do it for the right reasons... it becomes second nature. Becoming a Muslim is easy... but unless you have underwent a divine experience and unless you will sincerely ask for Divine Guidance and sincerely realise How Sinful you are... You can never really see Islam the way we Believers do.

No matter how much rethorics we put here... I can never change what is in your hear and your mind... Satan works with men by whispering ideas in theri minds... but God works with our hearts. When your Heart has been touched... then your mind shall follow.

My job as well as any other Muslims job is only to convey the message and the warning. - I have done my part... the rest is up to the Higher... make it Highest Power which governs all of us. Including you.

I am not going to smile when I die because I have experienced life more than anybody I have ever encountered in my life... I will smile because I have repented because I have been doing evil in my ignorance and I realized it was also the cause of my unhapiness... and I will smile because I have made my slate cleaner now and I intend to keep it that way... of course, with the Help and guidance of the Highest Power... God (Allah SWT).

The rituals by the way is not the object... it merely serves as one of the pillars to keep the believers agree to something. A way of organizing humanity without the need of a heirarchichal leader. where can you ever find an assembly of people worshipping - so organized and nobody is implementing crowd control or having even 1 pastor or priest with a megaphone or microphone shouting at them to stay put and stay in line or keep quiet. there's no church in the world that can do this... 5 times a day.

think about it... reflect on it.

 

[MustafaMc]

Death is inevitable that’s true. The sad thing for you is that you think there is something after it and you therefore live your life according to an ancient doctrine.

You hit the nail on the head, so to speak, for why I chose Islam.

Someone in this debate asked me earlier what have you got to lose by believing in God? What if you’re wrong when the day of judgement comes?

You say it’s intelligent to prepare for death, but let me turn that question on its head. What if you are wrong? What if you spend your one and only life living according to a set of rules laid down by a book someone wrote and there’s nothing after death? All the things your religion restricts you from experiencing, the time you spend adhering to rituals and praying, etc.

It is largely a matter of faith to believe in Allah, the Messengers of Allah, the revealed Books of Allah, the Angels, the Resurrection of the dead with Judgement Day, and the Divine Decree. In my opinion we have no scientific evidence that any of these are true - yet we Muslims believe in them all. We believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell and we are willing to avoid the things that you see we are deprived of experiencing (murder, stealing, adultery, fornication, drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, etc) and we sacrifice our time (prayer), money (zakat and sadaqa) and consuming food (fast) for the sole purpose of pleasing the unseen God (Allah) in order to avoid Hell and to gain Heaven. You see, we place no value upon the things that we have been commanded to avoid and we don't see our worship of Allah as a burden, but rather as a means for putting our lives in reference to the "big picture". When we pray, we acknowledge that there is a Being greater than we are and we gain a sense of humility before Him. When we fast, we realize that life is more than just eating, drinking and having marital relations as we voluntarily deprive our bodies of these carnal pleasures. When we give charity, we gain a sense of empathy for people who are less fortunatethan we are.

All a waste of your one shot at living life in the way you see fit. I think you summed it up perfectly yourself:

"In the end, all these time exerted into learning the unnecesary and the trivial will be useless."

For us the risk of Hell is too great to chance. We both are placing bets with how we live our lives.

I place my nickel bet that there is a Hereafter and live my life accordingly. If there is no Hereafter, I loose only the experience of "bad" things listed above and the time, money, etc spent in worship. If there is a Hereafter, then I have the hope to avoid Hell and gain Paradise.

You place your million dollar bet that there is no Hereafter and live your life accordingly. If there is a Hereafter, then you have no hope to avoid Hell. If there is no Hereafter, you gain only the experience of "bad" things listed above and the time, money, etc that you would have spent in worship.

I am comfortable with my "bet" are you?

 

[Keltoi]

From a completely non-emotional and non-spiritual standpoint, I think Glo and a few others are probably closer to the answer "why Islam?." Some people feel more comfortable with a more rigid set of religious guidelines and ritual. Protestant Christians are more about self-monitoring and seeking a personal relationship with Christ, with very little in the way of ritual. In general, it is about finding a religion that one feels comfortable with and a religion one feels is helping them grow spiritually.

One can't really expect a Muslim to give a satisfactory answer to an athiest as to why they chose Islam. Or any other faith for that matter. If one doesn't have the point of view of a believer, it is almost impossible for them to understand the rationale behind that kind of choice.

 

[Woodrow]

From a completely non-emotional and non-spiritual standpoint, I think Glo and a few others are probably closer to the answer "why Islam?." Some people feel more comfortable with a more rigid set of religious guidelines and ritual. Protestant Christians are more about self-monitoring and seeking a personal relationship with Christ, with very little in the way of ritual. In general, it is about finding a religion that one feels comfortable with and a religion one feels is helping them grow spiritually.

One can't really expect a Muslim to give a satisfactory answer to an athiest as to why they chose Islam. Or any other faith for that matter. If one doesn't have the point of view of a believer, it is almost impossible for them to understand the rationale behind that kind of choice.

Excellent post. I agree

It is impossible for any of us Muslim, Christian, Jew, etc to give an acceptable answer to an atheist. We are discussing totally different things and neither of us is capable of fully understanding the rationale of the other.

 

[NYCmuslim]

Believing in God and acting in according to the ways He prescribes does involve our God given and natural sense of faith, which the atheists here seems to be suppressing or depriving themselves of. Unless these people get in touch with their own spirits and feel that they have a purpose in life, they will not get an answer to the question of "Why Islam?" I don't think any human being can give you a concrete, 100% answer, without mentioning our Creator.

I like what MustafaMc said. The atheists here are taking a dangerous risk by not believing in the Hereafter. I think they should all think deep deep inside their souls and find their sense of faith, which is natural for ALL human beings to have. You may not have to immediately believe in God, but you have to understand that everything around you is rooted to a single "something" and slowly you will realize who that "something" is. That it is Allah.

Peace be unto you all.

 

[tarek29]

Why Islam!

Once upon a time the King Farouk of Egypt invited three religious people head of three religions:

One Jew
One Christian
One Muslim

And he asked them so that each one tell him why he think that follower of his religion will go to Heaven and not others!

The Jew said I will answer last
The Christians said let the Muslim Sheikh begin

So the Muslim sheikh begin and said:

If Judaism is right then we Muslims will enter Heaven because we believe in Moses and commandments written in Torah!

If Christianity is right then we will enter the heaven because we believe in Jesus (pbuh) and his Miracles and the God he called for in the bible, same like his words in the bible!

If Muslims right, then Not Jews or Christians will go to heaven!

May Allah (swt) guide us all!

Peace

 

[Draco]

Death is inevitable that’s true. The sad thing for you is that you think there is something after it and you therefore live your life according to an ancient doctrine.

You hit the nail on the head, so to speak, for why I chose Islam.

How is that a good reason for choosing Islam over any other religion that has the concept of an afterlife?

It is largely a matter of faith to believe in Allah…

In my opinion we have no scientific evidence that any of these are true - yet we Muslims believe in them all.

It’s revealing how there is no consistency of opinion between Muslims when it comes to this. Some say the evidence is strong, you say there is none. I agree entirely with your opinion MustafaMc. It’s entirely a matter of faith because the evidence (if there is any at all) is incredibly weak.

We believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell and we are willing to avoid the things that you see we are deprived of experiencing (murder, stealing, adultery, fornication, drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, etc) and we sacrifice our time (prayer), money (zakat and sadaqa) and consuming food (fast) for the sole purpose of pleasing the unseen God (Allah) in order to avoid Hell and to gain Heaven.

Being an atheist does not mean you necessarily have to indulge in murder, stealing, adultery or any of the things you mention. I’m an atheist and I don’t murder or steal. It’s been mentioned before in this debate by Woodrow but it’s worth saying again that just because an atheist is not bound by religious mandate, does not mean that we are without principles or a sense of write and wrong.

You see, we place no value upon the things that we have been commanded to avoid and we don't see our worship of Allah as a burden, but rather as a means for putting our lives in reference to the "big picture". When we pray, we acknowledge that there is a Being greater than we are and we gain a sense of humility before Him. When we fast, we realize that life is more than just eating, drinking and having marital relations as we voluntarily deprive our bodies of these carnal pleasures. When we give charity, we gain a sense of empathy for people who are less fortunate than we are.

Again, as an atheist I can choose to abstain from any of the carnal pleasures you describe, and I don’t need to believe in a god to do it either. I don’t mind admitting that from time to time I drink alcohol, eat unhealthy foods, gamble and do many things that you as an individual or your religion as a whole may find abhorrent. Yet I often make the decision to abstain from these things for a period of time (say a month) in an attempt to ‘detox’. Maybe this period is somewhat similar to your Ramadan. The point is I don’t need the rigidity of a religion to control how and when I do things or influence the choices I make. But that’s my preference and I can fully understand that some people may need that kind of structure. As Keltoi said:

…Some people feel more comfortable with a more rigid set of religious guidelines and ritual.

There are a lot of emotive reasons for being religious and the fact that the structure and rituals benefit your life does not make the claims of a god and an afterlife true. Praying five times a day may feel natural to you, it may not feel like an inconvenience to you, it probably makes you feel good about yourself and maybe you feel it adds discipline to your life. Whatever effect, positive or otherwise, a ritual like praying has on your life, it has absolutely no affect whatsoever on whether there is anyone listening to your prayers. I think it’s a common thing for people to confuse what makes them feel good and what is actually true.

For us the risk of Hell is too great to chance. We both are placing bets with how we live our lives.

I place my nickel bet that there is a Hereafter and live my life accordingly. If there is no Hereafter, I loose only the experience of "bad" things listed above and the time, money, etc spent in worship. If there is a Hereafter, then I have the hope to avoid Hell and gain Paradise.

You place your million dollar bet that there is no Hereafter and live your life accordingly. If there is a Hereafter, then you have no hope to avoid Hell. If there is no Hereafter, you gain only the experience of "bad" things listed above and the time, money, etc that you would have spent in worship.

I am comfortable with my "bet" are you?

I don’t see how an atheist is ‘betting’ on anything. I’m going to just paste what I said in a previous post…

“This point about believing should have been answered in my long post about other religions but I’ll make it explicit here. What if there really is a God and what if you as a Muslim have picked the wrong one? What if it’s not Allah waiting for you in Paradise but instead it’s Zeus or al-Aql al-Kulli or ECK or Krishna or Jehovah or Bolon or the Christian God? Perhaps the God would be angrier with you for believing in the wrong one than with me for believing in none. What is so important about belief anyway? If I’m wrong and I stand at the pearly gates of heaven and state that whilst I didn’t believe I was still a kind person, a generous person, I didn’t steal or kill or try to harm others – isn’t that better than just belief alone?”

 

[Md Mashud]

To see why should you use Islam, you have to research on religious history - and judge it on this.

 

[sudais1]

Because all the other faiths has flaws and Islam has none. There are astronomical amounts of Bible and If man didnt change it then we would all be following Christianty. There is no true bible. Everybody publishes a bible and says its from God. Jimmy Sawagart published his own bible. Thats just pathetic.

I need no knowledge to know that Judaism is wrong. The Torah has been corrupted and Judaism is for Jews born Jews and not for humanity. Thats wrong.

Islam has that same book and the same language. Every muslim sect unlike christianity have the same Quran. We only differ on teachings mostly on whos fit to lead the Ummah. The Bible is written in an odd way. Like it all just conversations. But if you read the Quran you can see God is Talking to YOU personally. The Quran has great science within and never contradicts itself. It has no grammatical mistakes and nothing. those websites who post mistakes no nothing. True Arabic was taken from Quran. There were many dialects so they came to Quran to find a common language and dialect because it was so high in its standards. The Quran teaches me and warns me. The Quran is a guide and tells us how to live. The Quran is memorized and sounds beautiful and soothing when read properly. No other book can ever be memorized. Go tell your preists and rabbai's to memorize there books. This is a miracle of Allah. The Quran is so comforting when read with the rules of beautification. Trinity is not once in the Bible but its in the Quran. Amazing. The concept of Trinity alone makes no sense and this leads be to believe that Islam is true. Even if you say Water can be sold, liquid and gas they are in different states and have different chemical formulas. They can't all be merged into one. Thats False. Islam teaches be to be pious and good and it proves to that it's true. Bring me a book like the Quran and bring forth your idols and companions to help you Allah tells us. Bring forth a Verse like the Quran. anyone can make a bible and you can see that by looking at the amount of Bibles there are. The Bible is changed to meet the needs of man and Man changes it so it always suits his lifystyle. Allah sent us the true book and weather we like it or not we must follow it because it gives us signs of its truthfullness. The Bible has become a buisness and cannot be trusted. One man has King James another one have NEW International VERSION. What is "NEW....VERSION"? Why is there a need for so many bibles. I don't need to even read about Christianty because you know its been changed by just looking at the amount of Bibles there are. which one is correct. There are thousands of contradictions. The Quran is perfect and can't be put on the same level as the Bible because the Bible is being changed every single day. The Bible is not even in Aramaic anymore. I have suffienct knowledge to know that Islam is true. IF anyone can convince me that Islam is not true then I would follow it anyways because It teaches us to be pious and live a certain life style. It teaches how to deal with people in buisness, religion, and daily life. It shows what is healthy to eat and what is not. Simple Islam is a way of life and a good one indeed.

Peace

 

[sudais1]

MustafaMC i ask to look at the evidence and sciences in the Quran before saying we just have faith. We have proof and evidence. You have no Yakeen and Iman for saying we have weak evidence. Speak for your self and not Islam because you have clearly not read the Quran and your polluting other peoples mind in telling them Islam is based on faith. if Islam was based on simply faith alone then there is no point in following it. Allah given us great signs and the Prophet himself told us of manny events which have past. He told us the Arabs would contruct tall buildings, That there come a time when the world would fight and a man from the Germans would become the scoruge of the world and he would seek domination. That The Jews would gather on the west of the Joran river ( where Isreal is). He told us that news would spread from one place to another and everyone would hear it in there own lanuage. (tv and sattitlite) The Quran tells us about the formation of the human sperm in the womb and how salt water and fresh water never combine. We have proof and if you can show me where the Bible ever gives proofs like this then I will surrender my religion. What more proof do you need?

 

[Chuck]

You say it’s intelligent to prepare for death, but let me turn that question on its head. What if you are wrong? What if you spend your one and only life living according to a set of rules laid down by a book someone wrote and there’s nothing after death? All the things your religion restricts you from experiencing, the time you spend adhering to rituals and praying, etc. All a waste of your one shot at living life in the way you see fit.

What waste of one shot at living life?

These rules, restrictions, and regulations are not much. They looked difficult from outside when I was coming to Islam but not after when I started to practice them.

Contact prayers - I spent more time in gym and workout is much harder, so I came to realize that spending 3 to 5 mins for each contact prayer is not really difficult, I don't even get a sweat :giggling:, it is all psychological.

Sex - I've sex... with my wife.

Diet Restrictions - They are not that much either, most of the edible food items in the world are halal. I was in sports (wrestling and football) so I'm used to dietary restrictions anyway... keeps me healthy.

Standards of living - Islam has nothing against it, I'm living with good standards of living, and my zakah and other charity also helps others too with their living.

Even without Islam my lifestyle won't change much except contact prayers, life can't be without rules and regulations.

Over all it is a good deal.

But this is not entirely true reflection of my conviction, because I'm not gonna leave Islam (inshAllah) if things become unfavorable like if I come to live under a regime that is hostile to muslims and Islam like former USSR. Nonetheless, overall I don't see it as a waste of life esp. with the consideration of afterlife.

And purchase not a small gain at the cost of Allahs Covenant. Verily! What is with Allah is better for you if you did but know. (16:95)

'O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer Eat and drink but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not wasters. Say: 'who has forbidden the beautiful gifts of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the things clean and pure which He has provided for sustenance' (7:30-301)

Allah wants us to enjoy ourselves not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. Allah tells us in the Quran to pray for both 'the good in this world and the good in the Hereafter' (2:201).

'We have made you a nation justly balanced' (2:143)
​

Here is an article related to this topic: http://www.al-islamforall.org/Misc/Islam.pdf

Sometimes rules and regulations look difficult but they make life easier.

PS: I'm very busy these days so I may not reply for a long a time.