Salam Alaikum - everyone,
This is my first post on this forum. A little about me: I am a human and a male specie, but firstly a Muslim. I'm 23 years old. I live near Washington DC, USA. I am here to improve my understanding, philosophy, and practice as it relates to my beautiful Deen - a Deen I consider to be an inseparable entity to my soul. I believe that everyone and everything on this earth is a 'Muslim' as it obeys the laws and will of Allah (SWT) whether they know it or they don't. I consider Allah to be that source of everything we know, have, feel, see, etc. He is the single entity which is responsible for everything – all the knowledge, experience, ability, possessions, comes through him. He is the closest thing to me and has always been there for me; it may sound silly to some ears, but I consider him to be my best friend. Think about it: he is ALWAYS there and you can feel his presence as you live every moment of your life - whenever you talk, pray, or plea, he is there to listen. His presence and attention is something I cherish.
I try to keep my Islamic ideology simple. Islam wasn't meant to complicate our lives and create unnecessary obstructions. It came to simplify and clarify the twisted nature of life. My reason for being here is to gain enough knowledge so that eventually I can create my own simple philosophy - my own Islam. I believe that Islam is different from person to person. That's why I don't think that it's a competition between each other - but rather a competition with one’s own self. Islam is about the struggle of being the best you can be – not about being better than everyone else.
So my goal is to start my understanding from the one entity, Allah, and go on an elaborate journey from there in an organized fashion. For example, I believe in Allah, but what’s next? Prayer 5 times a day? Fasting? Ok, what else? Knowledge of Islamic history? The Sahaba’s? Knowledge of Hadees? Etc. etc. I could go on and on with regards to all the different areas of Islam. It’s overwhelming. But I want to master it. I don’t want to become a scholar per say, but I do want to be confident in my knowledge of ‘my favourite game’ - Islam. I want to know the ins and outs, practices, rituals, Islamic psychology, belief, way of life, etc. It will rapidly get very detailed and messy, but there has to be a way to make everything tick, connect, and work like a well oiled machine. That ‘machine’ will eventually become the engine of my Iman.
I am here to reengineer, rethink, and reinvent my Islamic machinery so that I can be an even better Muslim than I am now.
This is just a little of what came to my head in the last few minutes when I thought about what Islam meant to me. I am sure I said some things up there that are subject to some criticism and correction. That’s fine - feel free to correct me. Please advise me on how I could begin on some of my goals above.
Thanks for having me – Jazakullah Khair
This is my first post on this forum. A little about me: I am a human and a male specie, but firstly a Muslim. I'm 23 years old. I live near Washington DC, USA. I am here to improve my understanding, philosophy, and practice as it relates to my beautiful Deen - a Deen I consider to be an inseparable entity to my soul. I believe that everyone and everything on this earth is a 'Muslim' as it obeys the laws and will of Allah (SWT) whether they know it or they don't. I consider Allah to be that source of everything we know, have, feel, see, etc. He is the single entity which is responsible for everything – all the knowledge, experience, ability, possessions, comes through him. He is the closest thing to me and has always been there for me; it may sound silly to some ears, but I consider him to be my best friend. Think about it: he is ALWAYS there and you can feel his presence as you live every moment of your life - whenever you talk, pray, or plea, he is there to listen. His presence and attention is something I cherish.
I try to keep my Islamic ideology simple. Islam wasn't meant to complicate our lives and create unnecessary obstructions. It came to simplify and clarify the twisted nature of life. My reason for being here is to gain enough knowledge so that eventually I can create my own simple philosophy - my own Islam. I believe that Islam is different from person to person. That's why I don't think that it's a competition between each other - but rather a competition with one’s own self. Islam is about the struggle of being the best you can be – not about being better than everyone else.
So my goal is to start my understanding from the one entity, Allah, and go on an elaborate journey from there in an organized fashion. For example, I believe in Allah, but what’s next? Prayer 5 times a day? Fasting? Ok, what else? Knowledge of Islamic history? The Sahaba’s? Knowledge of Hadees? Etc. etc. I could go on and on with regards to all the different areas of Islam. It’s overwhelming. But I want to master it. I don’t want to become a scholar per say, but I do want to be confident in my knowledge of ‘my favourite game’ - Islam. I want to know the ins and outs, practices, rituals, Islamic psychology, belief, way of life, etc. It will rapidly get very detailed and messy, but there has to be a way to make everything tick, connect, and work like a well oiled machine. That ‘machine’ will eventually become the engine of my Iman.
I am here to reengineer, rethink, and reinvent my Islamic machinery so that I can be an even better Muslim than I am now.
This is just a little of what came to my head in the last few minutes when I thought about what Islam meant to me. I am sure I said some things up there that are subject to some criticism and correction. That’s fine - feel free to correct me. Please advise me on how I could begin on some of my goals above.
Thanks for having me – Jazakullah Khair
I hope you find your time here beneficial. 
