Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Printable Version

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Printable Version

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Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Ranwen - 08-02-2003

Hello. I am considering converting to Islam one day. My big problem is that I'm never sure if I'm ready. How can I know if I know enough about Islam for a conversion to be sensible. I also have issues, as many do, with my family. I'm not sure if Islam is right for me becuase I don't necessarily agree with all of the rules. For instance, I'm not sure if I believe the hijab should be obligatory. Wearing a hijab would be very difficult for me becuase I am an American and a Westerner. I also don't agree with polygamy, or death by stoning for adultery. If anyone has any suggestions, please reply to this.

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Ali - 08-02-2003

Hello

Just a small comment. It isn't hard usually for westerners to wear hijaab, because where I live a lot of western women wear hijaab, and some even wear the niqaab.

Islam calls towards being an Abd (Slave) of Allah, and accepting his will over our own will.

-- Ali

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - SisterJennifer - 08-02-2003

Quote: It isn't hard usually for westerners to wear hijaab, because where I live a lot of western women wear hijaab, and some even wear the niqaab. -- Ali[/quote:c265b650ee]

Very true brother Ali.

Hi Ranwen,

A lot of western women have doubts about the above issues, but once they are understood for what they are, the doubts usually melt away. Why not look deeper than what you see on the surface and you may have a different perspective about these things. Just my suggestion. I am also an American women. I now wear hijab. I have lived both lives, and the thing that the hijab gives me that I did not have ever before is FREEDOM. God decrees for us what is best for us, and knows what we do not.

Jennifer

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - malik - 08-02-2003

hi Ranwen,

am also one of those who expecting himself to become a Muslim one day or maybe soon . dont know why but just have strong feelings. just want to give you advice my friend. if we can accept the islamic basic beliefs, then we shall accept also the other small issues as it is GOD's will not ours as Ali and jennifer said.

also ranwen, the Hijab ,polygamy and maybe death by stoning for adultery is found in the Bible. :oops:

see ya

malik.

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Ali - 08-02-2003

Everyone in the world is born as a Muslim, but their parents make them a non muslim. Every person's rooh (spirit?) knows Allah, but is tainted by the darkness of following excessive desires, and following the shaytan.

That is why in the quran Allah proves evidence and says "Do they not see?" " Do they not understand?"

Many do understand the existence of Allah, and understand his message but are reluctant to accept it because they'll have to give up some of their desires. And then Allah says that there is a disease in their hearts.

Do not be of the people who do not accept Islam because they'll have to subjugate some of their desires. [Image: smile.gif]

-- Ali

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Mutawakkil - 08-02-2003

Hi Ranwen

Here's an Islamic Fatwa that just about matches your questions in this thread. I recommend this site for all muslims who are looking for knowledge. Their are consistently true with the ideals of Islaam. I suggest you save this site in your "favorites". http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&dgn=3

[b:335573e18d]Question:[/b:335573e18d]

I was born in a French catholic family. My parents are strong and sincere believers, and I respect that a lot.

Now I'm very interested in Islam, but there are a couple of reasons that "prevent" me from converting. For instance, as a woman, I cannot accept polygamy, the fact of stoning people who had an affair, of always depend on a "mahram"...

Furthermore, it's not "easy" to be and live as a Muslim in a western country : in my job, I wouldn't be able to wear a veil, not to shake men's hands anymore, pray 5 times a day... And my parents (especially my mother who is sick) would be very sad seeing me leaving Christianity.

So my question is to know how I can convert in such conditions. Is there a kind of "minimum" required ? I mean, considering that there are still things which I don't accept, wouldn't it be better for me to wait ?

Thanks for your help.

[b:335573e18d]Answer:[/b:335573e18d]

Praise be to Allaah.

We put the following question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen:

A non-Muslim woman is saying, “I want to become Muslim but on the condition that I do not have to do the five prayers until the end of the day, because I cannot do them at work. And also I cannot accept the idea of polygamy.”

He answered as follows:

Praise be to Allaah. I think that she should adhere to the rulings of Islam if she wants to become Muslim and be saved from the Fire. But as for her choosing what she wants and saying I cannot accept the idea of polygamy – as if she is saying that she cannot accept it as a ruling from Allaah – or saying I cannot pray until I finish my work, this is not acceptable.

Question:

In the book “Muntaqa al-Akhbaar”, the author says, “Chapter on the soundness of a person’s Islam when he lays down invalid conditions”, and he mentions the hadeeth of Waheeb, who said:

“I asked Jaabir about the tribe of Thaqeef, when they gave their Bay’ah (oath of allegiance) to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him), with the condition that they would not have to pay Sadaqah (charity) or engage in Jihaad. After that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) say, ‘They will give sadaqah and they will engage in jihaad.’”

Can we understand from this that if a non-Muslim comes and says ‘I want to become Muslim on the condition that I can do all the prayers together at the end of the day’ this is OK, or is this an entirely different case?

Shaykh:

This is an entirely different case, because when that was said to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he said, “If they become Muslim, they will pray.” This has to do with matters of the Unseen, which we cannot know. (in other words, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) accepted that from them because he knew, from what Allaah taught him of the Unseen, that these people would become good Muslims and would give charity and engage in jihaad, whereas we cannot know the Unseen and how this non-Muslim will be in the future). If we accepted the conditions laid down by the kuffaar, Islam would disintegrate. One may stipulate the condition that we let him engage in zinaa (unlawful sexual activity), another may demand that we let him drink wine, and so on and so forth…. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) told ‘Ali, when he sent him to the people of Khaybar: “Tell them what their duties are towards Allaah in Islam.” The condition of Islam is that it must be accepted in totality, as it is. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) told Mu’aadh, “Teach them that Allaah has enjoined five prayers upon them, and if they accept that, then tell them about Zakaah.” So the obligations of Islam have to be accepted.

Question:

Can we not say that this person’s entering Islam serves a great interest, and that their stipulating that they should be excused a few acts of worship is less harmful?

Shaykh: Not at all! Whose interests are being served here? The interests of the person himself? But this is damaging to Islam, because then lazy Muslims will say, “We will only pray when we have finished work, like this person does.” So the harm this would do to Islam is serious. If he really wants to save himself, let him accept Islam in totality. “And whomsoever Allaah leads astray, no-one can guide.”

So what we say to you is this: become Muslim and accept Islam in totality. Submit to Allaah in all that He has prescribed, and Allaah will help you and give you the strength to follow His laws, if you are sincere in your intention towards Him. Then if you are faced with something that you cannot do for a genuine reason, or are forced to do something, then if you are sincere, Allaah will not punish you for that. May Allaah help us and you to accept the truth and adhere to it. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

[b:335573e18d]Islam Q&A[/b:335573e18d]

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)

[b:335573e18d]Also.....[/b:335573e18d]

Here's an article to relates to stoning regarding Paul, Pharasees and Jesus (Peace be upon him).

http://www.answerchristianity.fsnet.co.uk/StPaul.htm

[img:335573e18d]http://www.geocities.com/tisaatashar/brothers111.jpg[/img:335573e18d][b:335573e18d]What's that you say ??? PRIESTS AND PREACHERS ENTERING ISLAAM ??? True stories of religious leaders coming to Islaam......READ ALL ABOUT IT AND MORE !!! CLICK HERE.[/b:335573e18d]

[img:335573e18d]http://www.geocities.com/tisaatashar/horse111.jpg[/img:335573e18d][b:335573e18d] HUH ??? Scientific facts in the Qur'an ??? THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE - CONCEPTION - THE BRAIN - read about these and more compelling evidence for the truth of Islaam. To visit just CLICK HERE.[/b:335573e18d]

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Muslimah - 08-02-2003

Quote:Hello. I am considering converting to Islam one day. My big problem is that I'm never sure if I'm ready. How can I know if I know enough about Islam for a conversion to be sensible. .[/quote:a9adb9295e]As Salam a`laman ibatab`alohoda

Dear Ranwen

I can imagine how u feel, deep inside u feel an urge to do this, yet the devil usually intecepts strongly of course to keep u away from the correct path. The minute u take your shahada, be sure nothing Insh a Allah will be difficult. U think u shall go closely to Allah, your Creator, reconcile with Him and cross to joing the perfect party and He Shall leave u alone. Rest assured He shall arrange every thing. Even your family. Just read this topic:

http://www.islamsms.com/bb/viewtopic.p...der=asc&start=0

I have a suggestion, just talk to Allah, ask Him to guide u and assure u that this is the correct thing to do. He Shall certainly answer as He did with many others who were in the same position.

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Mutawakkil - 08-02-2003

As Salam a`laman ibatab`alohoda

Muslimah wrote:

Quote:I can imagine how u feel, deep inside u feel an urge to do this, yet the devil usually intecepts strongly of course to keep u away from the correct path.[/quote:b68ffd8f60] Here's an exercise in the Qur'an.....

Satan whispers continuously to us. He's not stupid enough to send you off-course by saying "go and massacre a lot of people or burn that building with those kiddies in it"......that's hollywood fiction.

He does it one step at a time. Say you're looking to please God by giving a very needy charity to so & so? He'll say "You're poor, look, god will accept a prayer from you for them" and so you change to a prayer. But as you start to pray he'll say "Haven't you left the oven on?" or Did you forget to this yesterday etc. One step two step and so on.

Same goes for seeking Allah. Now that is his mission.....to stop you thinking about Allah. Yes ask Allah to guide you to the truth over and over.

And look up this passage and put an asterix against it.

[b:b68ffd8f60]Surat Al-A'raf 7.11-18[/b:b68ffd8f60][/size:b68ffd8f60]

[b:b68ffd8f60]What's that you say ??? PRIESTS AND PREACHERS ENTERING ISLAAM ??? True stories of religious leaders coming to Islaam......READ ALL ABOUT IT and more !!! CLICK HERE.[/b:b68ffd8f60]

[img:b68ffd8f60]http://www.geocities.com/tisaatashar/brothers111.jpg[/img:b68ffd8f60][img:b68ffd8f60]http://www.geocities.com/tisaatashar/horse111.jpg[/img:b68ffd8f60]

[b:b68ffd8f60] HUH ??? Scientific facts in the Qur'an ??? THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE - CONCEPTION - THE BRAIN - read about these and more compelling evidence for the truth of Islaam. To visit just CLICK HERE.[/b:b68ffd8f60]

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - Muslimah - 08-02-2003

Sobhan Allah, Allah inspired me to give u a worldly example in regard to polygyny and stoning. I met people who worked in Riyadh Saudi Arabia which are the only Muslim country that applies Sharia (Islamic legislation). The man told me exactly the following: I attended the enforcement of adultery Had (punishment), and once u see it you shall think thousand times before approaching your wife leave alone committing zina (adultery). The punishment has to be very strong in order to deter people from doing what may physically corrupt the society. Now take for example a man who for any reason, will not try to identify the reasons, became inclined for another woman, what is best for the other woman? Is it best to be a one-night stand, or to become a respected wife who may even bear the man’s children and the whole society recognizes her as a spouse? Can u see the difference? Values of traffic tickets vary according to violation. The graver a violation is the higher the amount becomes. Same thing punishments set by Allah. Adultery is a grave sin compound with major consequences. It actually corrupts the society, bears harmful diseases, abuses both man and woman who lose their human nature coming closer to animals only looking after their lust. While if the same desire is put into its legitimate form, respect, honesty and family ties prevail. You know what, as much as the punishment is harsh, as much as the crime to be proven is hard. In Islam the crime of zina (adultery) is only proved when four witnesses delcare they saw the full act with their own eyes or when the one involved admits it. Imagine!

As for the veil matter of fact, it helps avoiding adultery itself. If the man does not look at the adornment of women, when the woman is not exposed just like commodity, when the woman is well covered, it certainly helps the man to maintain self-restraint. Don’t tell me in the Western communities men are not attracted by women appearance, of course they do. But the appearance may simply lead to more accumulated outputs, of which u r very much aware. U live in one of those societies and surely exposed to the amount of harassment and more. I tried to bring the issue in simple form with worldly examples I hope I helped.

Doubts of a Non-Muslim - SisterJennifer - 08-02-2003

Quote:As for the veil matter of fact, it helps avoiding adultery itself. If the man does not look at the adornment of women, when the woman is not exposed just like commodity, when the woman is well covered, it certainly helps the man to maintain self-restraint. Don’t tell me in the Western communities men are not attracted by women appearance, of course they do. But the appearance may simply lead to more accumulated outputs, of which u r very much aware. U live in one of those societies and surely exposed to the amount of harassment and more. I tried to bring the issue in simple form with worldly examples I hope I helped.[/quote:ef6f39fd44]

I wanted to add onto this point a bit. What you have said and more sister Muslimah is why I said I feel liberated by the hijab. American society for the most part is unlike others in that the family structure itself is weaker than the examples you find even within American itself in the Spanish and Asian Pacific communities. They don't throw the kids out when they are 18, they don't send the elderly off to a nursing home because they are too much a burden on their adult childrens lives. Rather they care for one another young and old alike, and it is rare to see them out alone, as they are very family orientated cultures.

Euro-Americans on the other hand tend to be loners. It is not uncommon to find women out alone at any time, day or night. And when reveiwing sister Muslimahs above quote, and the structure of American society, is there any wonder why every 13 min. an American women is raped? Or why there are numerous shelters for abused women speckled throughout even the smallest cities? Another disturbing fact is that by the time American girls reach the age of 13, 1 in every 8 will have been sexually molested. I mentioned before that I have lived the life both ways. Only now I am much more secure now then I had been in the past. Why? Because of the hijab. It is just as the Quran tells us. Believing women should cover themselves so as not to be molested. I apologize I cannot find the exact verse at the moment.

And one more thing I would like to say for Ranwen: I am not attempting to 'villianize' American society, I only want to point out these facts that plague our society. There is no such thing as a perfect society in todays world. I only hope these postings will help you to better understand the logic of wearing hijab in Westren culture. Never hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

Jennifer