Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
I knowI don't see any instruction in the quran that Muslims should have specific names, you
don't really need to change your name wherever you go.
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I knowI don't see any instruction in the quran that Muslims should have specific names, you
don't really need to change your name wherever you go.
Why not a Shia Muslim? Did you recognize Sunni is the true Islam, and Shia is not the right path?
Ok, I am a Bahai. But I had done some research on Shi vs Sunni.I have nothing against Shia islam or those who belong to that part of Islam. My dessision come down to what my feeling of the teachings says, actually it is not major differences in my understanding, but much of the difference lay in the understanding of who was the next to lead muslims after Muhammad passed away.
To me the sunni version do sound right, but to a shia muslim their version is the correct.
Ok, I am a Bahai. But I had done some research on Shi vs Sunni.
In Shia Islam, it is believed that after Muhammad there are 12 Imams appointed by Allah, to explain and interprete Quran for the Muslims.
Thus, the sayings of these Imams are considered a divine guidance and are hadithes. The Shia collection of hadithes gives a significant information related to interpretation of Quran, which is not found in Sunni sources, and at the same time, the Sunni sources of hadithes have some info, which is not found in Shia sources. The Quran forbids to be part of a sect, and only have a portion of guidance. So, to me, the best islam, is neither Shia sect or Sunni, or even Quranic, but, it is the whole true knowledge, found in combination of Shia and Sunni sources together. Just to be Muslim, with no fanaticism toward any sect, and accept the good teachings, whether it's in Shi or Sunni source. Just my thoughts, anyways.
I have nothing against Shia islam or those who belong to that part of Islam. My dessision come down to what my feeling of the teachings says, actually it is not major differences in my understanding, but much of the difference lay in the understanding of who was the next to lead muslims after Muhammad passed away.
To me the sunni version do sound right, but to a shia muslim their version is the correct.
I was asked by @Rival if i wanted to open a new OP and tell a bit about my choice of religioues belief or path. Something i would love to share.
I have had a long time within in different religioues and siritual teachingsas many here already know. But UI have always felt something missing and never stopped my search for what i really believe in. That said, i had read a bit about Islam many many years ago, but it did not feel right to me, it was so much negativity around Islam and i was young. So my path went on to buddhism and later to Falun Gong. I have nothing bad to say about any of those teachings, but as mention earlier, something was missing.
So let me turn the time a few monets back when I again come in to an articel about Islam and how the world look at it today. I was horrified of what i was reading because it was nothing like the Islam i had been introduced to from friends over the time. So i started to read an english transaltion of the Holy
Quran. And i found the things I had missed all this years, i found a teaching clear as day to me. but yes i found also verses i was thinking, wow hold on now, that does not sound spiritual at all.
I was eager to understand more, and suddendly in my personal life, i met a young woman who are muslim, so carefully i started to ask questions about the Quran and about her way of seeing the teaching. She explained to me those verses i was worried about, and she even took me to her mosque so i could speak with the elders there, to understand Islam from within its culture and spiritual meeting points of the mosque.
The young muslim woman is today my girlfriend
So the more i read the more clear it become to me that it was true teaching. And it took some weeks before i chose to convert.
Honestly i did expect to start disliking other religions because this was something many around me warned me about, if you become a muslim you will hate everyone and want to kill them, and you become a terrorist. Non of that has happen, actually the opposite has happen, i feel everyone is in tittle to have their belief, their religion.
My mind is more calm now then ever before, and i have meditated for many many thousands of hours before, but never felt so calm then i do now.
Many here thw last 6 months have seen me go from a normally calm person, to a fire of bad words and accusing people in RF of bad things. to now i am calm and accept your critique and quetions with open arms.
So a bit about the negative image of Islam, Yes there are groups who are extremists and who do really evil deeds and they call them self muslims or muhadins, they believe in a holy war, but even with my limited knowledge have seen that true jihad is not a war toward others, it is a war within our self, to take away the evil from within. So no i will never support a islamic group who do terror toward others. I will not harm anyone, to me Islam is a peacefull teaching.
And yes i accept that not everyone here going to agree with my view of Islam, maybe even other muslims will dissagree with some of my words here. that is ok. you are welcome to make your critique of me if i am in any shape or form evil toward you, or clearly do something wrong.
Questions are welcome too from anyone who want to know more about why i did this convertion.
PS: f you are an atheist and you read this far, I have put away my war hammer and will not be treating you guys the bad way as i did in the past.
I get why one could think that. I'm not sure if it had any bearing on Amanaki's decision or not, but its really none of my business one way or the other.
I think in general we are too hard on people that meet someone and then end up converting(whether that relationship is one of friendship, romance, or business). Sometimes you are not exposed to that way of thinking until you meet that person, and its not fair to judge that the person converted specifically because of that person. Perhaps that person just opened their mind in a new way. That could go for any faith(or lack thereof).
You can suspect that my friend, as i mention in an other thread, she might have made the desission more easy for me, but she is not the reason for my convertion. But she is a good plus in the situation yes.
Thank you @adrian009 as always your reply is good.Thanks for sharing your journey @Amanaki and for @Rival for encouraging you to create this thread.
I'm really pleased you have found a religion that feels right for you. Like you, I believe Muhammad (PBUH) is a Messenger of Allah and the Quran is the Word of God. Its taken me a while to truly appreciate the truth of Muhammad's Revelation. I came to that realisation largely through becoming a Baha'i. However, Islam has never appealed to me to the extent I would want to convert. The biggest problem as I see it, is freedom of religion. In many places in the world, once one becomes a Muslim, there are serious consequences with leaving Islam and joining another religion or becoming an atheist. There are so called apostasy laws.
Further, Muslims see Muhammad (PBUH) as being the final Prophet for all time. That means anyone with a claim to a Divine Revelation after Muhammad (PBUH) including the Founders of the Babi/Baha'i Faiths are false Prophets. It doesn't bother me at all that the Baha'i Faith is rejected by Muslims or anyone else. It does bother me when one religion is declared an apostate religions based on ideological purity (Muhammad is the final Prophet of all time). It disturbs me declaration against apostates become justification for persecution, torture, imprisonment and death in some countries.
So my question for you today my friend is how you feel about Islam's long history of persecution of peoples of other faiths including the Baha'is.
How do you view apostasy laws?
Yes she would, even her family approved of me before my convertionAs I said, it's nothing more than my personal opinion. You may be absolutely right... though I question whether you are in the best position to make an unbiased judgement about what your underlying motivations may be. The first question that pops to mind is would she be your girlfriend right now if you had not embraced her religion?
Honestly, I think, if you are saying, you are a Quran only Muslim, in reality, you are following a new sect, "Quran only Muslim sect", even if you call it only Muslim without second word. The reason I think that, is because, this is just another way of making a division, and separating from the rest of Muslims, saying "I am better Muslims, I am the true Muslim, and Shia or Sunni Muslim is wrong".I prefer not making labels to the religion, Just Muslim, sunni, shia ..etc makes divisions,
our religion is Islam, no 2nd word with it.
I was glad to hear you became a Muslim and that you got a new girlfriend given what I know about what you have been going through lately.Yes she would, even her family approved of me before my convertion
I am not saying the Quran is not clear by itself. The Quran itself teaches, there is an ego inside each one of us, which makes it possible for us to interpret word of God according to our own desire and wishes, or to suit our own imagination. Since there is such a possibility, to be on the safe side, it is best to stick with how Muhammad and His 12 successors understood and explained the Quran. Why not?I believe the quran is clear by itself.
Honestly, I think, if you are saying, you are a Quran only Muslim, in reality, you are following a new sect, "Quran only Muslim sect", even if you call it only Muslim without second word. The reason I think that, is because, this is just another way of making a division, and separating from the rest of Muslims, saying "I am better Muslims, I am the true Muslim, and Shia or Sunni Muslim is wrong".
But if we say, I am after the truth, I am after learning, no matter where I find it, then, you did not divide or separate yourself from the rest.
I am not saying the Quran is not clear by itself. The Quran itself teaches, there is an ego inside each one of us, which makes it possible for us to interpret word of God according to our own desire and wishes, or to suit our own imagination. Since there is such a possibility, to be on the safe side, it is best to stick with how Muhammad and His 12 successors understood and explained the Quran. Why not?
The idea of 12 Imams, or 12 guides, chosen by God, comes from verse 3:7.From where you got the idea that the 12 successors are the ones who'll interpret
the quran, and why waiting for the 12 successors to interpret the quran.
Do you mean that the quran wasn't understood before the 12 successors?
The idea of 12 Imams, or 12 guides, chosen by God, comes from verse 3:7.
Verse 3:7, tells us, the possibility that some verses which are Mutishabihat, be misinterpreted by some people, and cause mischief. In the same verse, it says, there is a group of people, who are well-grounded in knowledge (راسخون فی العلم) who know its interpretation.
It is a valid question, to ask, who are the well-grounded in knowledge? Are they ordinary Muslims? Or they are a special people, who Allah gave them such knowledge. To find this answer, there are some Hadithes which states, the well-grounded in knowledge is the Prophet and the 12 Imams after Him.
And when I read the Hadithes of the Prophet and the Imams, I see, they had deep knowledge of interpretation. A knowledge that I do not see from ordinary people.
What I see happening with the Qur'an is the same thing I see happening with the Bible and I see the same thing happens with the Baha'i Writings. Those who interpret these books believe they understand them correctly and others don't, but who gave them the authority to interpret these scriptures? When someone insists they know what verses mean I see that as an ego problem.The verse asked us to follow the clear verses and not to wait one imam to explain it for us, sorry to say you're among those who interprets the quran without knowledge.
According to the Quran the only one who know the truth fully is Allah, we as muslims can not understand the truth like Allah do. But of course the more we study the more we will understand and closer to the truth Allah know we too will become.What I see happening with the Qur'an is the same thing I see happening with the Bible and I see the same thing happens with the Baha'i Writings. Those who interpret these books believe they understand them correctly and others don't, but who gave them the authority to interpret these scriptures? When someone insists they know what verses mean I see that as an ego problem.
Every Christian I have known believes that they know what the Bible means; but as I tell them, this is logically impossible that all of them are right, because the meanings they assign are different and often contradictory. So who is right?
There are several possibilities: (1) one person is right and everyone else who disagrees with that person is wrong, or (2) nobody is right because nobody understands the real (intended) meaning, or (3) there is more than one meaning of many scriptures, so more than one person is right.
How can anyone say the meaning they assign is correct and the other meanings others assign are wrong? The hundred-dollar question is why people think they are uniquely qualified to interpret scriptures? There are so many different interpretations so nobody can say that only theirs is correct because they cannot prove that it is correct, nor has anyone been given the authority to interpret the scriptures. As such, it is just their personal opinion that they are right and others are wrong.
“Know assuredly that just as thou firmly believest that the Word of God, exalted be His glory, endureth for ever, thou must, likewise, believe with undoubting faith that its meaning can never be exhausted. They who are its appointed interpreters, they whose hearts are the repositories of its secrets, are, however, the only ones who can comprehend its manifold wisdom. Whoso, while reading the Sacred Scriptures, is tempted to choose therefrom whatever may suit him with which to challenge the authority of the Representative of God among men, is, indeed, as one dead, though to outward seeming he may walk and converse with his neighbors, and share with them their food and their drink.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 175-176
I believe that Baha’u’llah was the Representative of God among men and He appointed interpreters through His Covenant, so at least Baha’is have some guidance, but even then they have to interpret what the interpreters wrote and what they meant is not always completely clear.
What I see happening with the Qur'an is the same thing I see happening with the Bible and I see the same thing happens with the Baha'i Writings. Those who interpret these books believe they understand them correctly and others don't, but who gave them the authority to interpret these scriptures? When someone insists they know what verses mean I see that as an ego problem.
Every Christian I have known believes that they know what the Bible means; but as I tell them, this is logically impossible that all of them are right, because the meanings they assign are different and often contradictory. So who is right?
There are several possibilities: (1) one person is right and everyone else who disagrees with that person is wrong, or (2) nobody is right because nobody understands the real (intended) meaning, or (3) there is more than one meaning of many scriptures, so more than one person is right.
How can anyone say the meaning they assign is correct and the other meanings others assign are wrong? The hundred-dollar question is why people think they are uniquely qualified to interpret scriptures? There are so many different interpretations so nobody can say that only theirs is correct because they cannot prove that it is correct, nor has anyone been given the authority to interpret the scriptures. As such, it is just their personal opinion that they are right and others are wrong.
“Know assuredly that just as thou firmly believest that the Word of God, exalted be His glory, endureth for ever, thou must, likewise, believe with undoubting faith that its meaning can never be exhausted. They who are its appointed interpreters, they whose hearts are the repositories of its secrets, are, however, the only ones who can comprehend its manifold wisdom. Whoso, while reading the Sacred Scriptures, is tempted to choose therefrom whatever may suit him with which to challenge the authority of the Representative of God among men, is, indeed, as one dead, though to outward seeming he may walk and converse with his neighbors, and share with them their food and their drink.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 175-176
I believe that Baha’u’llah was the Representative of God among men and He appointed interpreters through His Covenant, so at least Baha’is have some guidance, but even then they have to interpret what the interpreters wrote and what they meant is not always completely clear.