Response....
A'salaamulaykoum...welcome! Happy to answer your questions....
Alright, so first of all, what is your favorite part in/of Islam? [I can't say one thing is my "favorite" as there are so many...One God, the wisdom of the Qur'an, how the entire faith is a guidebook for life-there is an answer for everything, the preservation of the Holy Qur'an, the preservation and science of Hadith....]
How long have you been a muslim (if you are)? [hmmm I think it is going on 3 years now alhamdulilah]
Have you always been a muslim or how did you get into believe Allah is the true God? [I was raised a Christian but always struggled with the 3 in 1 concept....it never made sense how Jesus could be so divine...when I learned about Islam I immediately became intrigued...from watching the prayer, observing the Muslims restraint and discipline...it was beautiful and so contrary to the Western society's perceptions of the faith]
If you haven't always been, did you have a religion before? [yes, I was Christian...I attended Church every Sunday, taught Sunday school, and said my prayers..]
If you are a female, do you wear a hijab? [yes alhamdulilah I wear hijab...it has been a struggle for me but I always remind myself of why I am doing it and that Allah's wisdom goes beyond what my mind can comprehend...I quite enjoy wearing it now actually!]
How often do you go to the Mosque? [as much as possible, alhamdulilah...we have halaqas every Friday and I also try and go for prayers when I can]
Hounestly, do you pray 5 times a day? (If you dont mind me asking) [yes alhamdulilah...it keeps me in check]
Is there anything at all that you don't like about Islam? Probably not? [I wouldn't say that there are things I disklike, as I said Allah's wisdom often goes beyond what our feeble minds can comprehend. There are things I have struggled with at times but Allah makes them easy for me. When there is something we feel we disagree with Allah tells us to put it aside for the time being and then come back to it....He even has advice for situations like this, subhan'Allah it is amazing!
]
What can you tell me about Islam? Perhaps something that you really love about it, or something that you find really interesting that I would love to know (really im interested in knowing ... well... everything!!!)
[Where do I begin? There are SO many wonderful things about Islam, wallah (I swear by Allah)....one of the coolest things was how receptive other Muslims were to me...I felt I had instant friends and an instant family, I never felt that in Christianity...and in Islam the ummah or the community is so important and Rasoolulah (SAW) and Allah in the Qur'an tell us how powerful our ummah is, I have witnessed it and feel it in my heart. Islam moves me everyday, and when I say moves I mean it touches me, deeply. I am thankful everyday that I am enlightened by Allah and have learned of this great faith....I feel proud to say that our Holy Qur'an is the word of God and that it has been fully preserved for us...no other faith can say that their holy books are THE word of God....how beautiful is it that we have the words of our Lord at our fingertips? Subhan'Allah it is amazing to me! The beauty of the recitations to are another wonderful thing...the more I learn Arabic and learn the root words and the meanings of the words, the more I feel connected to Allah...the book is without doubt full of guidance. There is an old Zen story about a girl who was looking for inspiration, literally she was on a journey...and one day she came across a master of sorts who she would question and ask for guidance. The master would never answer her quesitons directly and she began to get very frustrated. One day the master told her to pour a cup of tea and she would tell her when to stop. So the dutiful girl poured the tea until the tea was running over the cup and on the table. The girl exclaimed "master why are you making me continue to pour? Can't you see it is spilling every where?" And the master replied, my dear, how ever can you learn and be enlightened when your cup is full...you need to first empty it before you can fill it.
My advice to you is to empty your cup....remove an preconceived notions or perceptions that you have and ask Allah for guidance and help....with Ramadan around the corner insha'Allah, it is the perfect time for you to empty you cup.
May Allah guide us all to become one of the righteous in this life and the next insha'Allah, ameen...
Your sister...
J