Remember, Laika; there is no need to dress and talk like Muslims do in their cultural specific lives, unless it is in following Islamic teachings you have no doubt in. No need to say Allah instead of God unless you speak Arabic at that time. No need to say Bismillah when you do stuff, and "In the Name of God" is perfectly correct. No need to wear that cap or traditional dress Arabs wear. Just live your normal cultural life and only avoid parts that go against Islam if you want to act like a better Muslim. Most of all, avoid what could harm others, either directly or indirectly.
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How to convert to Islam (as a way to understand it better)
- Thread starter Laika
- Start date
Union
Well-Known Member
Well said . Thanks .
Tomorrows_Child
Active Member
Very interesting thread, I shall be following any future developments. Good luck!
Sakeenah
Well-Known Member
As time has gone on, along with the crisis of my own beliefs, I have become aware of how little I know about other religions. It can be reduced to very vague generalities. its strange but it is only when I started to think of a world without religion, that I realise how important it is to mankind as a whole and how I am still implicitly a product of cultural christianity. so finding some sense of "place" with my own beliefs means understanding others much more deeply than I do now. humanity is bigger, greater and more diverse than I have ever realised and admittedly, will probably ever know. thinking outside the box has got me this far, so its probably time to smash it and see where it takes me.
it seems that the best way to understand a religion is to live by them and practice them. that is how they are meant to be understoood, as living faiths. it is as much about how we feel as how we think and the inner experience is hard to replicate any other way. I've toyed with the idea of doing a "grand tour" of major religions by converting to them and getting to know them better. each is part of the story of our humanity, so they all have something to offer. I'm not sure how it would go but I thought I'd start with Islam.
Islam has obviously been in the news a great deal, and regrettably not in the sense I think people would want it to be. it therefore disproportionately comes up in debates on RF and often needs to be defended based on recognising muslims shared humanity with non-muslims in addition to the pecularities of the Islamic faith. it is also true that Islam, as the major religion of the middle east and africa represents a challange to eurocentric views by learning about it's history and traditions.
I hope that, if you are ok with it, that I may spend some time in the Islam DIR, get to know you all and your faith a bit better. I would still retain my own beliefs, but my intention is to respectfully spend sometime getting to know the "nuts and bolts" of a religion as a guest and not to impose upon you. maybe something along the lines of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." there will be bumps I'm sure, but I hope you'll forgive my ignorance and nieveity on many subjects dear to you.
So I'd like to ask for some general advice on what I would do in order to convert to Islam as if I were to become a practicing Muslim and whether this is ok with the members here. that might help me understand. if this goes well I would then look to "join" another religion later on (let's say after at least for a month) and see what I can learn from each of them.
it's a crazy scheme, but every journey begins with a first step. so here it goes.
Are you ok with this?
kind regards, Laika.
[p.s. yes, I would consider praying five times a day to understand it. if I do so with much swearing at the early hours that will stay between the kafir and allah.]
Hi laika,
Welcome to Islam DIR
and yes I'm okay with it. I agree with others you can explore islam and learn more about the message without converting. You just have to be open minded and sincere. Others have given good advice..I just wanted to add The goal of different worship like prayer, fasting,charity etc. Is to get closer to God, to attain His guidance and blessing . One can pray the entire day but not achieve anything in regards to his relationship or connection with God..so the goal isnt how much you can do but the intention behind it. A person can drink a glass of water with the intention of maintaining ones health because our bodies are a trust. Based on this intention this normal act becomes worship and it will make that person come closer to God.
Sometimes worship can become just a routine..for example if a person prays because everyone does it..and a person has the intention 'let me finish this prayer quickly so I can continue what I was doing' this kind if prayer wil not help this person spiritually.
MARCELLO
Transitioning from male to female
Wonderfully said . Traditions do not mean anything .By the way that arabian male dress is the best for that climate. Aint that be true?
Not sure if it's "the best", but it is generally good for it (not every place is hot tho). That of course generally does not apply to life as we know it now.
Pastek
Sunni muslim
Arab clothes are differents from a country to another one. For exemple Yemenis have kind of long skirt that they wear with a vest, while it's hot there.
In north africa "djellaba" which is a qamis (not "dress") with a hood.
I guess you were talking about "qamis" in particular
Madam Google says Infidel is a pejorative term. From Islamic point of view anyone who is not a "Muslim" by default becomes the opposite, a non-Muslim "Kafir".
I don't understand the not harming ant part though. What does that had to do with you being an infidel or not?
I'd just like to say thanks to everyone here.
I didn't convert to Islam and the month turned into more like a week. I was a little over ambitious in my OP. I did try to learn how to pray and it was very moving to say the least. It took alot of thought and effort to grasp it and I think that was the meaning behind it. I have read some of the Qur'an and I will perserve and keep reading around the subject.
Peace be upon you.
I didn't convert to Islam and the month turned into more like a week. I was a little over ambitious in my OP. I did try to learn how to pray and it was very moving to say the least. It took alot of thought and effort to grasp it and I think that was the meaning behind it. I have read some of the Qur'an and I will perserve and keep reading around the subject.
Peace be upon you.
Hello LaikaI'd just like to say thanks to everyone here.
I didn't convert to Islam and the month turned into more like a week. I was a little over ambitious in my OP. I did try to learn how to pray and it was very moving to say the least. It took alot of thought and effort to grasp it and I think that was the meaning behind it. I have read some of the Qur'an and I will perserve and keep reading around the subject.
Peace be upon you.
The time is gone faster , that's known a minor sign of signs of "last day"
Just curious , did you feel that time is gone faster before, or just last month, when you started explore Islam ?
Just keep read and search about Islam ,If you feel that Islam is truth , just don't hesitate to comeback , God doors is always open
I have a strange life honestly. I am at home and don't have a job due to depression. So my experience of a "week" has many more hours without distractions in it that for most people. I don't have a TV either so much of my time is on here at RF instead. the closest I get it watching a few episodes of the West Wing on my laptop from the Boxset.
If anything I feel alot "older" than I did a week ago. I read the Quran and have had to re-examine most if not all my anti-religious beliefs as essentialy prejudiced and ignorant. The subject of hell came up in Islam alot and having tried to walk away from communism for its cruelty, I had to pause and wonder whether it was something I could escape from or whether it was going to reappear in another form at a later date. trying to work myself up to get a job and recover from depression has been a trial too. my exploration of Islam does however fit in nicely to trying to recognise the "inner" experience of religion and not simply rely on reason as a judge. so it was very much worthwhile. its still a beginning of something else from what I am used to though.
I am hope that you pass the depression and job issues.
I believe that's also because your heart had lack of believe , (that knows to us) .
or try to listen to Quran (focus), will remove the depression mode .
I forget to reply on this , there is many scholars said , there is not eternity hell for all disbelievers .just for some maybe, some said there is not eternity hell for all .
last week I listen to long video lesson about "the hell" unforunetly not translated in English
plus , for my opinion many disbelievers (whom don't heard about Islam) will enter to paradise due to their deeds (good vs bad).
the Arabic word meaning "خاليدن . ابدا " "live forever" is mention for long period in antic Arabic word meaning .
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I hope you enjoyed your short journey with Islam, and feel free to jump in anytime to ask anything which come a across that reminds you of Islam in anyway even while exploring other faiths. So, all the best.
By the way, i was planning to reply to the other thread because it so happen that i was also reading and listening to a lecture about the same subject. If you are still interested, i can come later to comment there and answer your questions, otherwise, we can save it for another time.
By the way, i was planning to reply to the other thread because it so happen that i was also reading and listening to a lecture about the same subject. If you are still interested, i can come later to comment there and answer your questions, otherwise, we can save it for another time.
I would be intrested in your answer (if only I could remember the question, lol).
I think the one that was most important is "Is Islam compatable with secular systems?". my suspicision is "yes" but I don't have the background knowledge to argue it convincingly. Nor any rough sketch of what Islam would look like if it were a little more *cough* "western". I'm not 100% sure if that is a good or a bad thing to be honest. theres also the more important question as to whether Muslims would want to change and whether anyone has the right to impose western values on Muslims, which could well be construced as a form of moral corruption and unorthodox interpretation as individualism can be. really I am not the person to make that point though.
(if that's not the one you had in mind, I'd still be happy to hear your thoughts either way).
I would be intrested in your answer (if only I could remember the question, lol).
I think the one that was most important is "Is Islam compatable with secular systems?". my suspicision is "yes" but I don't have the background knowledge to argue it convincingly. Nor any rough sketch of what Islam would look like if it were a little more *cough* "western". I'm not 100% sure if that is a good or a bad thing to be honest. theres also the more important question as to whether Muslims would want to change and whether anyone has the right to impose western values on Muslims, which could well be construced as a form of moral corruption and unorthodox interpretation as individualism can be. really I am not the person to make that point though.
(if that's not the one you had in mind, I'd still be happy to hear your thoughts either way).
ops, now i realize there was another thread made by another person and i thought it was made by you. Sorry for the confusion.
I didn't notice this question above before about secularism, but i'm more than happy to give my insights, not because i'm a scholar or anything, but think of it as sharing the voice of one person from the crowd, just normal basic answers from the way i understand Islam as a normal Muslim.
Will come back later to comment on it "God willing".
I came back to answer your question.
Now i realize that i need a clarification. When you say "Is Islam compatible with secular systems", are you referring to Islamic law or just Muslim individuals living under secular systems?
Now i realize that i need a clarification. When you say "Is Islam compatible with secular systems", are you referring to Islamic law or just Muslim individuals living under secular systems?
thanks for taking the time.
Both really. I think Islamic Law (as a offical law not just a moral code) won't be, whilst individuals who are Muslim will be depending on their interpretation of Islam. but I have no evidence to hand to reinforce that position. most debates centre on putting Islam and the West as basically two armed camps in opposition to each other which is less than helpful.
thanks for taking the time.
Both really. I think Islamic Law (as a offical law not just a moral code) won't be, whilst individuals who are Muslim will be depending on their interpretation of Islam. but I have no evidence to hand to reinforce that position. most debates centre on putting Islam and the West as basically two armed camps in opposition to each other which is less than helpful.
Well, i see Islam as a balanced approach between secularism and communism. While secularism went into the extreme in individualism, communism went to extreme into focusing solely in the well being of the community as a whole without paying attention to different individual needs.
That's why, when the US felt danger after the recent economic collapse, it literally intervened and "saved" major banks and institutions so it went little bit more to the center although only partially somehow like an antibiotic just to keep it going, and on the other hand, China had to be less communist in order to benefit from the open international market.