I first visted this forum while thinking of converting to Islam. I was given many responses and was very excited by the support I was recieving but I have since lost faith, and I'll tell you all why.
I have, for many years, been involved with the Gothic subculture and have always found the darker side of life appealing, though I've never been sure why.
After 9/11 I would always hear talk of "radical muslims" and thinking myself quite "radical", I decided to see what all of the talk was about, and this is how I discoverd groups like Al Qaeda and Hamas and through those groups, Islam. When I look back on it, I was only thinking of reverting because I thought that blowing things up was cool. I wanted to be a muslim so I could be "different" and "edgy". I was reverting for the wrong reasons, and I believe this is why I lost faith. That was my being honest, and now I have some questions for you, if any of you would care to oblige me, I would be very grateful.
Firstly, I am a smoker. I know the risks, but I am a legal adult and am allowed to do so, my question is, what is Islam's ruling on smoking?
Next, my gothic lifestyle. I know about the basic clothing regulations, but (for those of you who know about the subculture) what does Islam say about some of the imagery and dark themes of the gothic culture.
Thirdly, music. I have seen many heated arguments about whether or not music is haraam, does anyone know of any quranic verses or hadith that actually say yes or no?
I honestly believe that Islam is the greatest religion I have ever seen, the proof is undeniable and the miracles of the Quran are there for all to see, but my main two questions are, How can you be so sure there really is a god, and, If Allah didn't want me to do some of the things I do, why make me the way I am? Why make humanity have so many flaws? Why not simply make us perfect servants?
If I came off as mopey or pretentious, I wasnt my intention. Im just sick of being scared of death and im sick of not knowing whats going on outside of our mundane little lives.
Thanks in advance,
Greeting seeker, faith can go up and down depending on our actions. The more we spend our time doing things which are bad for us, haram and a waste of time, the more our faith will go down. In order for our faith to keep increasing, we must back it up by doing the righteous works or as some call it good deeds. The two, faith and good works, are connected and we need both. There are also times our faith can become weak and the thing to do is continue out throughout the difficult time and of course Allah/God will reward us for our effort and strive. Life is a test and it is only logic that God will put us to trial by all kinds of different things. Few examples are wealth, life, weakness of faith, property, etc. Just because someone has a lot of money, this does not mean the person is blessed but it could rather be his or her own destruction since the person wasn't wise. It is a test and all of us are out here to worship, to be tested and to strive for the best of the herafter.
As for smoking cigarettes, when cigarettes were first invented by the Turks, they weren't as they are today. There wasn't any proven harm in it to health and the only ngative part was the smell. So the scholars in Ottoman Turkey during those days did not see any evidence that it was haram so they ruled it as Makru. In other words, it was not forbidden nor encouraged or liked but it was prefered to stay away from. However, today it is a different story because cigarettes contain chemicals, poisons and other harmful ingredients so they are haram because of the harm. I used to smoke and I know how difficult it is to quit. It's been about 2 years now that I quit and it was harder at first but it gets easier as time passes by. So from the research I have done in about Islam I would tell you it's definitely haram. But my dear brother/sister, keep in mind that the Quran came in stages(over period of 23 years) and people were not expected to turn into perfect beings over night but there is a step.
There are some people that can change extremely fast while it takes others more time. Do not let that stop you from embracing Islam. If you are certain and convinced, embrace Islam and work on the rest as you go. It's like lifting weights or doing anything for that matter; there has to be a plan, preperation, etc. The same goes with Islam and take it step by step. No one will ever learn everything about Islam nor will anyone ever be perfect. God didn't create us perfect and He is the all knowing. We have choice and the ability to choose and refuse. A good example was when the Quran was first revealed to our Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) and the way his society was at the time. The people drank, gambeled, fornicated, oppressed others, and did many horrible things. The Quran was revealed in stages and alcohol was not made haram as soon as the first words were dictated. It was later and the first warning or preparation for the ban on liquor was the verse in regards to not coming to prayers while drunk but rather wait until one is sober.
This was getting them ready and they started drinking less and less because they had to focus on Islam. Since they had to pray few times a day, it gave them less time and chances to drink. So the verse that banned alcohol was not revealed over night or the same day the revelation started but it was at a different time. The same goes for us now and our bad habits before we embrace Islam. We should embrace Islam and work on these things. It is much easier and a person who embraces Islam will him/hersself try to be good and stop doing the haram things. I still smoked when I was convinced about Islam and I embraced it because we never know what happens tomorrow. It is better to die in submission as a believer then as a non-believer and at the same time with sins. We all are humans and have the ability to sin. No one is perfect but we must try our best to worship our Lord and pass the test. He is more mercieful than a mother is to her infant and He gives the best of rewards for our labors, sincerity and efforts.
As for music, this is a subject of debate. There are some scholars who say it is haram or at least the instruments and there are others who say it is not forbidden but rather it depends on what kind of music it is and how much time we spent on it. I would recommend that you pray to God and ask Him to guide you to the right way. If you are convinced, embrace Islam as soon as possible and then start step by step. We all learn new things and it will continue forever. No one will become all knowing because only God is so. The Quran on the other hand has a beautiful style and flow. You could listen to the Quran recitations and that will at least cut our precious time that we waste with music or television. Music can become addictive and also cause weakness in faith; especially if we listen to bad content etc. It was an addiction to me and I did research on it. I saw both sides of the story between those who say it is haram and those who argue not all music is haram. In my opinion, it is harmful and a waste of time. It becomes addictive and a big distraction. It also effects a person's mind. Have you ever noticed in public there is music almost everywhere? The malls, shopping stores, etc all have music because how it effects our minds and changes us.
They do it get us to shop of course and they are likely successful at it. Movies also have music in them and it can bring a person to tears if the movie is sad and then comes that sad music and before you know you are in tears or your mood changed. So there are definitely side effects on it but scholars have debated this subject for a long time. They both use their evidences for their opinions and reject the other. I tried to be as honest and fair as I could because I am not interested in taking sides nor argue with anyone. I just wanted to know for sure if it is haram, halal or makru. There are different opinions among scholars and I would first focus on learning more about God, purpose of life, day of judgement, and the Islamic way of life. The rest will naturally fall into proper place.
As for your last sentence about why God made us the way we are, I find this one more important than debating about music. God is all knowing and He put us here to worship Him. This life is a test and He has given us the ability to choose and refuse. He knows how we are and He is wise and mercieful. If He would have made us perfect servants where we could not hav a choice, there wouldn't be no test. He has made us different instead. He has given us the ability to choose and He expects us to worship Him with our sincere efforts and ability. He is the one who guides and He is the best of helpers. That is why He is so rewarding and appreciative. He has given us the ability to be bad or good, and we can't see Him. Therefore, since we voluntarily submit to His will and decide to worship Him rather than what He created, He rewards us many times over for every deed of ours. Since life is a test, we are made this way and have the ability to make decisions. He only questions us over the things we have control over and not other things which are beyond our control.
God is the most mercieful and loving. He is gracious and the most just. He expects us to try our best, make the efforts and be sincere. We do our part and He will do the rest. I hope you are satisfied with the answers and embrace Islam first before anything if you are convinced and the rest will come step by step.
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