Hi everyone!, I am so happy to find a forum like this and am excited to meet people. I came from a completely non religous family, not against religion, just not faithful ourselves. Thus I know nothing about religion at all. However, at this time I have realized this is wrong, and as a 26 year old male I feel my window of opportunity to have faith myself may be closing. Thus, I am here to ask where in the world do I start, what do I do and how do I get there because I am green as grass. How do I start living a faithful life and how will I know if Allah acknowledges me for this.
Someone told me a good way for a complete newbie like me is to start be spending time with people families, possibly even living with them for a week or two to see their daily routines and learn about faith, but I don't know how applicable or easy that would be.
Until that can be agganged, I would like to meet some mentors, not matter what age, sex etc, just someone to talk with and give me guidance.
Thank you all.
here's a few things for you to listen to:
for those that have heard it as well as for those who haven't, here is the link for some Bashar Shala lectures:
stories from Surah al Kahf. please listen to the Man of the 2 gardens:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/m...tories+of+Quran/14_Stories_from_Surah_Al-Kahf
Bashar also has a near complete Seerah here [missing some pre-Islamic info]:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Seerah+of+the+Prophet+(pbuh)
and a series on the Khulafa Rashida:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Islamic+History/Khulafah+Rashida
and on the 4 Imams and Islamic Jurisprudence:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Islamic+History/The+Four+Imams
on the Sahabah:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Islamic+History/Sahaba+Rasul-Allah
and the Taba'een:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Islamic+History/Tabi'een
there is a Reflections on the Stories of the Qur'an, of which the Surat Al Kahf is a part, that goes over the Prophets, AS, in the Quran:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Reflections+on+the+Stories+of+Quran
of which my wife really likes the series on Surah Yusuf:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/m...ions+on+the+Stories+of+Quran/10_Prophet+Yusuf
there's even a small section on the Abbassids:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Islamic+History/Bani+Abbas
and the Ummayyids:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Islamic+History/Bani+Umayyah
he is also redoing the Seerah, it follows the Reflections on the Stories of the Qur'an section. it also contains the missing stuff from the other Seerah:
http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/default.asp?q=f&f=/Seerah_an_Nabawi+(saw)
Brother Bashar is a Cardiologist as well as student of Islamic Studies. he is a humble man who has asked to remind others that he is "not a scholar, just an ordinary Muslim!" we would blessed to have more such Muslims among us!
i've listen to his Seerah a a good deal of the part on the Khulifa, they are very heart moving! i hope that you give them a listen and that, In Sha'a Allah, you benefit from them.
there's also this great course on al Fatihah, Jamal Zarabozo:
http://www.kalamullah.com/al-fatihah.html
and a set on the Fundamentals of Islamic Studies by Bilal Philips:
http://www.hoor-al-ayn.com/lectures/bilal-philips/
and a great series on Imam Nawawi's 40 Hadith:
http://www.alghurabaa.org/lectures/abu-abdis-salam/
here's a few internet helps:
learn to pronounce Qur'an and some duas:
http://transliteration.org/quran/home.htm
searchable Qur'an:
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/koran/
compare translation of the Qur'an here:
http://quran.islamicnetwork.com/
and some great lectures by Mufti Menk that i forgot:
http://www.muftimenk.co.za/Downloads.html
that's a nice chunk of stew
Yusuf