Judaism and Islam

[faithandpeace]

I fully agree with what you wrote. I am no scholar and do not want to mislead you, but I speak from the experience of converting from Christianity and making the transition to becoming a Muslim. I myself fall short and have much to learn. I believe that as long as you have sincere intention to work toward those things that you mention and strive to do your best, that Allah (swt) will be merciful and forgive us of our shortcomings. Don't let others pressure you to do anything you are not ready for that will overwhelm you and cause you to leave practicing Islam altogether as I once did. I would encourage you to inform your supervisor of your conversion to Islam and your having a need for a private place for prayers that are due while you are at work. This is one thing that may be difficult to adopt for example doing wudu in the restroom when others may walk in and look at you funny.

I also encourage you to abstain from all pork and alcohol. The more conservative view on eating meat is to eat only chicken, beef or lamb that has been slaughtered Islamically which is known as zabihah which makes it halal, or permissible to eat. At restaurants I eat only vegetarian or seafood, but recently traveled to Nashville where I had the pleasure of eating halal meat at restaurants located through [removed]. The Hanifi madhab (1 of 4 Sunni schools of Islamic law) does not allow shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab), but I don't find evidence to avoid this in Qur'an or hadith and it is allowed in the other madhabs. Qur'an 16:14 "And He it is Who has constrained the sea to be of service that you eat fresh meat from thence, and bring forth from thence ornaments which you wear..."

I would also advise you to not become involved in religious debates until you become more knowledgeable and it is in general best to avoid religious discussions at work. Be prepared to loose old friends and for family to hold you at arms length. If you are single, then finding a Muslim husband will likely be a source of encouragement. Even in this case it may be difficult to find someone who is patient, tolerant and Islamically knowledgeable.

In terms of dieting the good news is I have been vegetarian for 10 years coming up in May. Alcohol is something I have been consuming less and less over time even prior to reverting to Islam. I haven't mentioned anything yet to my supervisor but I am in the process of learning salat. Wudu is something I have already more or less mastered (unless I'm doing something wrong and just haven't been corrected yet by someone on it).

A lot of truths have been revealed to me lately especially since becoming Muslim. I have been trying to implement more Islamic values into my life and it does seem like there is massive resistance from many people I know. I have noticed that the moment one tries to become more pious or improve one's character other people try to actually pull that person down or keep them from elevating themselves morally and spiritually. For instance as I try to be more modest about how I behave in public some others close to me have seemingly acted more immodest themselves being louder and saying inappropriate things, etc. It becomes a real struggle already as the secular pull is so strong and invasive that even a minor advancement in religious life results in negative influences and behaviors from others who don't share my goals trying ever harder to keep me where I was. Insha'Allah I will only continue to grow and know better who my true friends are, who is on my side and who does not mean me well.

 

[MustafaMc]

Insha'Allah I will only continue to grow and know better who my true friends are, who is on my side and who does not mean me well.

In shaa Allah, it will be so. Also be aware that you likely will experience insreased whisperings from Shaytan as you strive to improve yourself.