So why become a muslim (Amanaki's journey)

[Spirit of Light]

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.

 

[Rival]

What did you find in Islam that made it different from, say, Sikhism or Christianity?

 

[Spirit of Light]

What did you find in Islam that made it different from, say, Sikhism or Christianity?

Honestly i did not research sikhism so i know not much about it.
To me Christianity has removed them self a lot from the true teaching by changing words and opinion in the bible ( i can of course not speak for all the different groups of Christianity) my source from Christianity is the protestantic church of Norway, and they have changed the teaching to much. That is not Christianity it selvs fault, it is human beings fault.
And if i remember correctly, it even say in the bible that not even one words should be changed, because then it is not Gods word anymore, but humans words. ( correct me if i am wrong on this of course)

 

[Rival]

Honestly i did not research sikhism so i know not much about it.
To me Christianity has removed them self a lot from the true teaching by changing words and opinion in the bible ( i can of course not speak for all the different groups of Christianity) my source from Christianity is the protestantic church of Norway, and they have changed the teaching to much. That is not Christianity it selvs fault, it is human beings fault.
And if i remember correctly, it even say in the bible that not even one words should be changed, because then it is not Gods word anymore, but humans words. ( correct me if i am wrong on this of course)

I see what you mean, but isn't this the same problem as some Muslims using the Qur'an to justify things you believe are not in it? What was the defining factor for you here. Do you see Islam as being logical, for instance, or does that kind of thing not matter to you when it comes to religious belief as it's more about experience etc?

 

[shunyadragon]

Honestly i did not research sikhism so i know not much about it.
To me Christianity has removed them self a lot from the true teaching by changing words and opinion in the bible ( i can of course not speak for all the different groups of Christianity) my source from Christianity is the protestantic church of Norway, and they have changed the teaching to much. That is not Christianity it selvs fault, it is human beings fault.
And if i remember correctly, it even say in the bible that not even one words should be changed, because then it is not Gods word anymore, but humans words. ( correct me if i am wrong on this of course)

What is your religion of birth?

 

[Spirit of Light]

I see what you mean, but isn't this the same problem as some Muslims using the Qur'an to justify things you believe are not in it? What was the defining factor for you here. Do you see Islam as being logical, for instance, or does that kind of thing not matter to you when it comes to religious belief as it's more about experience etc?

To me Islam is very logically build up in the teaching, very clear instruction what to do, and what not to do. I can not speak for other muslims, only for my own understanding of the teaching, and yes at the moment i know i have limited knowledge.

 

[Spirit of Light]

What is your religion of birth?

My parents was protestant Christians, but personally i never truly practiced Christian faith. So my first truly religioues practice was buddhism

 

[Rival]

To me Islam is very logically build up in the teaching, very clear instruction what to do, and what not to do. I can not speak for other muslims, only for my own understanding of the teaching, and yes at the moment i know i have limited knowledge.

What are your thoughts about the ahadith?

 

[Spirit of Light]

What are your thoughts about the ahadith?

To me as a sunni muslim there are 6 books within the ahadith that is the most important, but i will read them all.

I have a lot of reading in front of me.

The 6 books are

1) Sahih Bukhari
2) Sahih Muslim
3) Sunan Abu Dawood
4) Jame Tirmidhi
5) Sunan Nasai
6) Sunan Ibn Majah

This books are known as Sahah Sitta

 

[Eddi]

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.

Are you going to adopt an Islamic name?

Like how Cassius Clay became Mohammed Ali?

Or how Cat Stevens became Yusuf Islam?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Are you going to adopt an Islamic name?

Like how Cassius Clay became Mohammed Ali?

Or how Cat Stevens became Yusuf Islam?

I am not planing on doing that personally no
If anyone in my girlfriends family or mosque want to give me a muslim name, i would use it around the muslim community yes.

 

[shunyadragon]

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.

Personally I have more empathy for atheists and agnostics than believers in ancient religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Buddhism is a more gentle religion has more empathy for those who do not share their faith than all of the above. I am not Buddhist, but have been close to Buddha's teaching most of my life.

I am a Baha'i with strong Buddhist and Unitarian beliefs and consider Muhammad a prophet of God for his time, but I also believe the religion is progressive and advancing the spiritual education over time, and no one religion has the whole answer for all time.

I also have a problem with the extreme intolerance of other beliefs and rigidity of culture of Islamic Countries. This I believe you have avoided addressing.

There is also the question 'How to choose on faith over another?' given the diversity of religions and beliefs over the world and throughout the history of humanity, and God's relationship to all humanity when they all make exclusive tribal claims that they are the rue religion including the Islamic tribal claims of Sunni and Shiite. You expressed a lack of knowledge of Christianity and likely other possible choices. How would you reconcile your choice over others without the knowledge? What would be the universal?

 

[QuestioningMind]

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 hate to be the cynical one... but after reading this there are two lines that stood out for me.

i met a young woman who are (is) muslim and The young muslim woman is today my girlfriend

Personally I suspect that that is why you changed religions.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Personally I have more empathy for atheists and agnostics than believers in ancient religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Buddhism is a more gentle religion has more empathy for those who do not share their faith than all of the above. I am not Buddhist, but have been close to Buddha's teaching most of my life.

I am a Baha'i with strong Buddhist and Unitarian beliefs and consider Muhammad a prophet of God for his time, but I also believe the religion is progressive and advancing the spiritual education over time, and no one religion has the whole answer for all time.

I also have a problem with the extreme intolerance of other beliefs and rigidity of culture of Islamic Countries. This I believe you have avoided addressing.

There is also the question 'How to choose on faith over another?' given the diversity of religions and beliefs over the world and throughout the history of humanity, and God's relationship to all humanity when they all make exclusive tribal claims that they are the rue religion including the Islamic tribal claims of Sunni and Shiite. You expressed a lack of knowledge of Christianity and likely other possible choices. How would you reconcile your choice over others without the knowledge? What would be the universal?

I do agree its many years since i properly read the bible, but when i was 15 until i was 20 years old i did go through the main religions in the world, some i might have studied more then others, that is true. But my base knowledge is there. Even i would have known more if i did study them all, all the time.

My choice of islam is based on the peaceful teachings i found. But as i have stated more then one time, i do not support the extremists in islamic belief. I really despice terrorists and do not see them as good myslims since it is written that harming others is wrong action, ( yes i know of verses that say different too)
When i started to read the quran it was like i truly found what i had been looking for all this years. I fell in to peace.

But i only speak for my exoerience of this teachings, other people will see it different. Some will only focus on the negative and about those muslims who do wrong, then base their view upon that. I dont blame those who see it like that.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I hate to be the cynical one... but after reading this there are two lines that stood out for me.

i met a young woman who are (is) muslim and The young muslim woman is today my girlfriend

Personally I suspect that that is why you changed religions.

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.

 

[JustGeorge]

I hate to be the cynical one... but after reading this there are two lines that stood out for me.

i met a young woman who are (is) muslim and The young muslim woman is today my girlfriend

Personally I suspect that that is why you changed religions.

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).

 

[Spirit of Light]

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).

Thank you @JustGeorge i recognize my self in your words

 

[InvestigateTruth]

To me as a sunni muslim there are 6 books within the ahadith that is the most important, but i will read them all.

I have a lot of reading in front of me.

The 6 books are

1) Sahih Bukhari
2) Sahih Muslim
3) Sunan Abu Dawood
4) Jame Tirmidhi
5) Sunan Nasai
6) Sunan Ibn Majah

This books are known as Sahah Sitta

Why not a Shia Muslim? Did you recognize Sunni is the true Islam, and Shia is not the right path?

 

[FearGod]

I am not planing on doing that personally no
If anyone in my girlfriends family or mosque want to give me a muslim name, i would use it around the muslim community yes.

I 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.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Why not a Shia Muslim? Did you recognize Sunni is the true Islam, and Shia is not the right path?

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.