To become a Muslim or Not?(1 )

[MTYKK]

Sir,

You seem to be a seeking individual looking for solid answers in your journey.

I would recommend those whom went your path, and shanred their experiences, I would recommend the works of Jeffery Lang, I am also currently reading Charles La Gai Eaton, Islam and The Destiny of Man right now and am mesmorised at the concise accuracy and elequonce of his authorship and so far would highly recommend it. (I would also recommend Hamza Yusuf's lectures)
There is so much I would "recommend" but there is so little time to gain knowledge

Also, it is wonderful that you're doing your best of reading the Qur'an, may the Almighty let it open its secrets to your heart.
(Muhammad Asad (CAIR) and Ali Unal Interpretations come highly recommended with adequete exegesis)

May Allah, Most High, give you what is best.

 

[Mairo]

I am not a Muslim………………..yet but I may become one. Someone suggested I was hearing the call, perhaps .But there are few issues I have that I wonder if you guys and gals can help with. So this could be the first in a long line of posts .If I become a Muslim I want to be a good one

Whilst I like mostly what I see and read on this site and similar ones, I go to local mosques and I get the complete cold shoulder not the warm welcome. Local Imams dont speak English .

I enjoy reading the Holy book ( in English ) but then I look at the countries that are supposed to be Islamic ,Pakistan ,Saudi Arabia ,Iran etc I don’t think I would want to live there . It says ‘let there be no compulsion in religion ‘ yet I spend my working days with refugees from so called Islamic countries who seem afraid because they could not choose there own religion or fleeing corrupt rulers .

There is supposed to be one Umma but they cannot even agree when Ramadan starts round here .It seems more about Culture than faith .

It says in the Holy Qu’ran in many ways many times that in unity in belief there is strength ,yet all I see is disunity and chaos .

I don’t see the point of looking at my personal doubts if this big stuff still confuses me .

What do you think?

Salaam Sir David,

I appreciate your sentiments. Islam is best learned from the original sources: i.e. reading the Qu'ran and studying the example of the prophet(s), especially Muhammad may peace be upon him. It is also encouraged, if possible, to learn in the presence of a practicing Muslim, who is pious, kind, steadfast etc. Most of us reverts can relate to the situation you described in the mosque, unfortunately. But I think this actually has the potential to be one of the strengths of being involved with a mosque in "The West" - these are the places where you find muslims from every single country in the world! Alhamdulilahi! But we all have to strive to do what we can to be more welcoming, better relate to each other and bridge the gaps that exist due to language and cultural differences. In the meantime I hope you will find some other muslims of your own language and culture to whom you can better relate.

Islam is the most beautiful religion. I hope you will continue to learn about it and be inspired by it. It is great to hear that you enjoy reading from the Qu'ran. If you read more about the example of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, I am sure you will be even more touched.

The situations you described, of unjust punishment and oppression for example, have no place in Islam. You are correct in your assessment that in many situations, cultural traditions can overwrite the practice of Islam. This is a problem which we need to try to counteract. To be sure, the Muslim Ummah is facing many problems today. Not the least of which is civil war in many countries, where muslims are guilty of killing each other :astag:.

However, it is also true that there is a great misunderstanding among countries in "The West" regarding muslim countries. I myself have lived in a muslim country (I was not muslim at the time), and was very surprised with what I found. Yes, there are certainly examples of hypocrasy to be found (which you will find ANYWHERE in the world), but being exposed to the overarching structure of Islam in the society was a wonderful thing to witness. And also having the opportunity to learn directly from the example of several pious individuals was invaluable to me.

We can only be guided if God so chooses to guide us. Consider the explanation of Jesus when he said that wide is the path that leads to destruction, and many will find it . . . narrow is the road that leads to salvation and few are those who will find it. Very similar to the explanation Muhammad gave that all religions divide into sects (not just among muslims, but also among christians and jews), but there will remain one "saved sect", an upright party within them which will remain until the day of Judgement.

We need more good hearted people such as yourself to contribute in a beneficial way to the community and help bring about reform! We also have to understand that even if our community fails us, we still have a duty to our Creator - to be good and rightous servants and uphold the laws of God - which we must try to fulfill. It is for this struggle to establish and bring about good when confronted with evil, which we will receive a reward, God willing.

For myself, I embraced Islam simply because I came to a point where I believed without a doubt. I believe in God; I believe in his prophets, may peace be upon them; I believe in his revelations; I believe in the afterlife . . . and I absolutely love the religion of Islam. These are my own personal convictions, and they are not dependent on the actions of anyone else. I try to simply focus myself on doing more good, instead of judging the actions of others around me.

I apologize for the long response, but hope it may be of some benefit to you.

God bless

 

[Mairo]

Thanks for that quick reply. But how does one recognise the straight path when the other 72 say ours is the straight path, the original one . Do I trust my heart and hope (pray?) for a message?
To go back to basics would mean reading the Holy book as it was written in Arabic not practical in the short term as I suspect translating such documents is a life times work so I have to trust someone else ;-(

But who? I am sure that the world is full of sincere and unfortunately not sincere people. I can see the straight path is not necessarily the quickest or the shortest or easiest. I fact I would instinctively distrust anyone who said it would be easy

Hello again Sir David,

You have already received a lot of repsonses, but I wanted to also try to address some of the questions you posed here.

Some excerpts of hadith to consider:

The Messenger of Allâh said,
“I am leaving for you two things if you hold fast to them you will never go astray: the Book of Allâh and my Sunnah.”

The Prophet also said,
“The Jews were split up into seventy-one sects; and the Christians were split up into seventy-two sects; and my community will be split up into seventy-three sects. All but one of these sects shall go to Hell.” The companions said, “Messenger of Allâh! Which one shall not go to Hell?” He answered, “The one that follows my path and that of my companions.”

It was narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse” They said, “O Allâh’s Messenger! Who will refuse?” He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it).” (Bukhâri 9/384)

Allâh’s Messenger said,
“The best speech is the Book of Allâh. The best guidance is that of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. The worst of all affairs are the innovations and every innovation is erroneous.” (Muslim)


Abû Dâwûd and At-Tirmidhî reported on the authority of Al-Irbâd ibn Sâriyah that he said,
“Allâh’s Messenger gave us an exhortation at which the eyes shed tears and the hearts were afraid. A man said: Allâh’s Messenger! It seems as if it were a farewell exhortation, so what injunction do you give us? He then said: I enjoin you to fear Allâh, and to hear and obey even if it be a slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my Sunnah and that of the rightly guided successors. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.”

The Prophet said,
“He whom Allâh wants to bless, He gives him the understanding of the religion.”


And some excerpts from Quran:

It is whose who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong,'dhulm'that are(truly) in security for they are on(right) guidance (6:82).

[22.54] And that those who have been given the knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, so they may believe in it and their hearts may be lowly before it; and most surely Allah is the Guide of those who believe into a right path.

Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures); in the Torah and the Gospel; for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil. He allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure). He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper. (7: 157)

Truly, Allâh will admit those who believe and work righteous deeds, to Gardens beneath which rivers flow. They shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk. For they have been guided (in this life) to the purest of speeches; they have been guided to the Path of Him Who is Worthy of (all) Praise. (22:23-24)



And also take heart from this hadith:
God has declared: I am close to the thought that My servant has of Me, and
I am with him whenever He recollects Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I
remember him in Myself, and if he remembers Me in a gathering I remember
him better than those in the gathering do, and if he approaches Me by as
much as one hand's length, I approach him by a cubit.... If he takes a
step towards me, I run towards him.

If you have time you might like to read the information here, regarding ideal qualties of Muslims in relation to God:
http://www.wefound.org/texts/Ideal_Muslims_files/IdealMuslim1.htm

Yes, it is a good idea to learn Arabic to have a full comprehension of the original scripture. I hope you will not view this as an insurmountable task, as there are many who have not only learned Arabic as a new language, but then went on to memorize the entire Qu'ran. True, in the short term it may not be possible. I personally find most translations are perfectly adequate to understand the message, so I don't think you should be too fearful of learning from translated versions of the Qu'ran. In time I hope you are able to read the original Arabic as well, I am sure you would benefit from it! It can be helpful to remember that Islam in its simplicity is belief in God, submission to God, and acting upright/rightous.

[2.269] He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom, he indeed is given a great good and none but men of understanding mind.


Best wishes to you, God bless

 

[massi]

hi
sir David read this topic specially : some matters that you do not yet fully understand


Difficulties facing a Christian girl who wants to take the decision to enter Islam

Question:
I am a young Christian woman and I have been reading about Islam for some months now. I have already read a translation of the Koran and several books about Islam along with articles and other material I have found on the internet and elsewhere. I do not pretend to know or understand everything, there are many things that still confuse me, and I have a hard time accepting some applications and interpretations of Islam that I have read about. However, I do believe in God and I do believe that Muhammad was his prophet and that the Koran is the revealed word of God.
The question is what should I do about it? As I said there are still so many things that I do not know or understand and this is a major decision I am trying to make and to tell the truth it feels like an enormous responsibility and it is quite frightening. What worries me the most is that I don't know how well I could live by Islam if I converted. I have already changed some things in my life, I have stopped drinking, I avoid pork and I try to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants (or skirts) when I go out. But I also know that there are some things I would not be able to do immediately if I converted, for varios reasons, (at least that is the way it looks to me at this moment), such as wearing hijab.
Also, I am currently studying abroad (in the US, but I am from Europe) but I am going home to my family over Christmas. I don't think I would be able to tell my family right away if I converted and thus I do not know if I could do things such as pray all the five daily prayers, fast or avoid pork while at home over Christmas.
Would it be wrong of me converting knowing that I will not be able to fulfill all the obligations that follow (at least not immediately), and knowing that there are still many issues that I do not understand or have a hard time accepting wholeheartedly (due to lack of understanding and knowledge . Please guide me .

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

What you have achieved in your quest for the truth is great indeed. All that remains to be done is the most important step you will ever take in your life, which is to pronounce the Shahaadatayn and enter Islam. We truly appreciate the great efforts you have made by reading the entire Qur’aan in translation, and other books and articles about Islam, and also by already giving up some haraam things such as drinking wine and eating pork. The most important thing that you have achieved is your conviction about Islam, the Prophet of Islam and the Book of Islam. From your question we can sum up the obstacles that you face in two points:

1.

some social embarrassment
2.

some matters that you do not yet fully understand

With regard to the second point, it is not a condition for becoming Muslim that a person should know the entire religion, because it is a vast ocean. You can become Muslim and then learn the religion and develop full conviction about all the rulings of Islam. At the beginning, it is sufficient to believe in the six pillars of faith in general terms (belief in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and predestination, both good and bad) and to understand and accept in general terms the five pillars of Islam (testifying that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, prayer, paying zakaah, fasting in Ramadaan, and performing Hajj to the sacred House of Allaah, for the one who is able and has the means). Realize that knowledge and conviction develop gradually, and that faith increases by doing acts of worship and obedience to Allaah, which in turn leads to a deeper understanding and acceptance of the rulings of Islam.

With regard to the first point, we are sure that if you enter Islam and are sincere towards Allaah and do righteous deeds, then Allaah will give you the strength, steadfastness, courage and certainty to face all difficulties and overcome them. The experience of other women who have become Muslim before you gives you a good example of what you could be able to do in the future as regards following the rules of Islam, such as hijaab and other issues, despite being surrounded by an overwhelming atmosphere of kufr. We also say that if any woman were to ask us whether she should become Muslim despite not wearing full hijab or stay a kaafir, we would definitely tell her to become Muslim, because the seriousness and danger of remaining a kaafir is far worse than being a Muslim but committing a sin.

We understand totally the difficulties and social embarrassment that you speak of, and we know that going against one’s family and the society in which one lives are very difficult matters, but Allaah makes every difficult thing easy.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

“… And Allaah is the Wali (Protector and Helper) of the believers.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:68]

“…And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).” [al-Talaaq 65:2]

“… Allaah will grant after hardship, ease.” [al-Talaaq 65:7]

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e., Allaah’s Religion – Islamic Monotheism)…” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:69]

We also want to tell you that it is possible for a person, if he becomes Muslim and fears unbearable persecution or hardship, to conceal his Islam and keep it a secret, hiding his acts of worship from the people around him although it is difficult to do so. But for the sake of following the truth and saving oneself from the punishment of Hellfire, everything becomes easy and the believer can overcome all difficulties.

Finally, we can only thank you for the efforts you have made and for sending this question. We hope that the next step, which you should take immediately, is abundantly clear to you from our answer. We will be very happy to help you with anything you may need in the future, and we ask Allaah to guide you to the path of truth, to help you and to make things easy for you. Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

 

[Qur'an&Sunnah]

:salam2:

I think what's hard for you in joining Islam is that you are reading about how beautiful this religion or really way of life is, BUT when you see it by people's actions you see something different. What I'm trying to say is that over the years some people or many Muslims have lost the sense of belief in which the Companions of the Prophet and the Prophet (S.A.W) possessed. Not saying that they are not Muslims, no, but saying that many Muslims over time after the Prophet (S.A.W) passed away began to love this life more than the hereafter. Therefore, there actions maybe confusing to you.

When joining Islam, you must study and seek knowledge of it in the way of Allah, and ask Allah to guide you to the truth of Islam. Then, after you have found that knowledge by the will of Allah you will begin to see that some people have gone astray from the religion, and what you have to do is follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and you will succeed. This is very important, never ever separate the Prophet from Allah because if you do so you will fail, but if you follow both the Sunnah and the Qur'an you will succeed because the Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.) said that there will come a time will there will be 72 sects of Muslims similar to the Jews and the only group that will make it to Paradise is the one who follow my Sunnah and the Qur'an or Allah.

Therefore, Insha'Allah you will become Muslim and call yourself only Muslim and follow the Sunnah and the Qur'an, then you will find many Muslims out there that are still strong in this Religion and they will not give you the cold shoulder (and please bear with me I am not saying that the Muslims who gave you the cold shoulder are not Muslim, they are by Allah), but the conditions we are in (meaning that people look at us as Public enemy number1) some Muslims are very defensive because some non-muslims in the world are indoctrinated to believe that we are bad people, therefore some Muslims shy away and are on the defensive against certain things, hopefully you understand.

PS. May Allah bring you to this Islam and may you find a masjid/mosque that is english speaking and may the people there teach you about Islam Insha'Allah
If I have written something that was a mistake it was from myself and if I have written something good for you then it was from Allah. Ameen




:salam2:

 

[kafeelah1]

Assalam alaekun, brother.This much i have to say: Become a Muslim for the sake of Allah and never for the sake of Muslims (known and unknown). So ask Allah Himself to give or show you the answers to this questions. May Allah help us (Muslims) to be true in words and deeds and make us shinning examples to the world! Amin!
So if you ask me again i would say become a muslim now without delay! Your previous sins are readily washed away.You are as faultless as a newly born baby. Allah be with you!

 

[Asiya-sparkles]

I am not a Muslim………………..yet but I may become one. Someone suggested I was hearing the call, perhaps .But there are few issues I have that I wonder if you guys and gals can help with. So this could be the first in a long line of posts .If I become a Muslim I want to be a good one

Whilst I like mostly what I see and read on this site and similar ones, I go to local mosques and I get the complete cold shoulder not the warm welcome. Local Imams dont speak English .

I enjoy reading the Holy book ( in English ) but then I look at the countries that are supposed to be Islamic ,Pakistan ,Saudi Arabia ,Iran etc I don’t think I would want to live there . It says ‘let there be no compulsion in religion ‘ yet I spend my working days with refugees from so called Islamic countries who seem afraid because they could not choose there own religion or fleeing corrupt rulers .

There is supposed to be one Umma but they cannot even agree when Ramadan starts round here .It seems more about Culture than faith .

It says in the Holy Qu’ran in many ways many times that in unity in belief there is strength ,yet all I see is disunity and chaos .

I don’t see the point of looking at my personal doubts if this big stuff still confuses me .

What do you think?

Peace be upon you and may Allah guide you to Islam.

Brother, may i call you that? The very first and most important thing to recognise is this- being a Muslim is to submit to the will of Allah, our examples about how to behave and how best to observe worship started some 1400 plus years ago! We are such a long long way from those beginnings and have entered days that are prophetic- as an Ummah we have become many sects, divided and adversity afflicts us, but nothing at all of this is a reflection of Islam itself, it is a reflection of the sadness of people losing their way and of corruption entering the hearts and minds of men, of rulers and of nations being oppressed.

In Islam the best examples are of the Sahabah- God willing you will find material, the hadiths and the quran to be your best guides. I was practising Islam for 3 years before I formed an attachment with the ummah as such, and were it that I had taken the actions and attitudes of people as representative of Islam I would have been doubt filled and wary. However, Alhamdulillah, it is like you have experienced- the very teachings themselves that inspired and made my heart incline to Islam.

You do not follow what people around you do as an example, instead you strive to seek the ability and wisdom of the Quran and Sunnah as your sources of guidance and inspiration, and you do your best to be an example and to please Allah. It is your life (and eternal life ) that you are shaping, your precious relationship to nurture is the one with Allah! InshAllah (God willing) when you submit to the will of Allah you will realise that in the ummah as in all of mankind there is the good, the bad and the downright offensive...but much more than that, you will inshAllah meet fellow Muslims along the way who will inspire and uplift you and who will remain firm friends always. I have as a revert experienced the 'cold shoulder', intense lonliness at times, been told that regardless of my appearance, my prayers, my actions having not been born a Muslim I'll never truly be accepted as a Muslim..but that is ignorance not fact (inshAllah!) On the other hand, I have met some of the most warm, generous, kind and patient people- inspiring people, loving people and dedicated people in Islam ever!

I truly hope that you feel inspired to take the shahadah, that Allah guides you, because brother, honestly, life will have its rough rides but you will never want to leave inshAllah, when Islam enters your heart you are more alive, aware and recognise the blessings that surround us all everyday.

I think the amazing thing to remember is this, despite all the adversity and afflictions in this life- it is 'smoke and mirrors' - tests and 'strength training' really, a self discipline that fine tunes our own characters and inshAllah qualifies us for the mercy of Allah to be deserving of Paradise.

 

[Asiya-sparkles]

Salam Alaikom!

I just thought I'd share another sisters revert story...ma'shAllah! In November last year Aisha reverted to Islam after 60 years being spent as a practising Christian, her heart felt inclined and she felt suddenly lost and alone in the church. She told me that she has never had a more active social life, met warmer kindlier people or been so happy in her whole life! Instead of her and her husband feeling like vulnerable pensioners (he also reverted to Islam), they feel like cherished members of an exclusive and caring community with best of all a sense of being connected with God.

So Allah will bless you with whatever you need to progress and He knows best!

You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain inshAllah.

God bless

 

[tabuzbr]

asalaamualikum,dear brother Islam is the true and ultimate religion of this world and has existed since the world was created and will exist till the end of this world as Allah the Almighty has created it and there is absolutely no doubt about it.also as u said u had read Quraan i'm sure the basic concepts must be a bit clear to you as to how Allah came to create this world and how satan refused to bow down before Adam and became arrrogant then mislead Adam in paradise as he had promised Allah,well so the fact is along with muslims the satan also lives in this world and strives real hard to mislead muslims from the right path,and especially work hard on people who show even slight inclination towards the right path that is undoubtedly islam.so i would only say that if u feel u can recognise the calling of the true religion of islam then u might as well agree that satan is bent on showing u the wrong side of it all so read Quraan where the role of satan is always highlighted and how despite his several attempts true muslims and a good muslim world has prevailed believe me just make the right effort believing strongly not in this present world which is just a test for all human beings no think and believe in hereafter and assure u'r self that hopefully u won't be among the disbelievers who will burn in hellfire but inshallah by Allah's will u will be among the righteous people and enjoy the gardens of paradise.so forget this world strive only for the hereafter the day of judgement which matters the most and is the ultimate truth,strive to find the true facts of islam then embrace it with a pure heart don't go with examples set up by satan,i wish u all the best and we r all here to help u and i'm sure Allah will also guide u ,u go one step towards him and He comes ten steps forward so just acknowledge the facts of islam and accept it.MAy Allah be with u Ameen.

 

[sajjuaiah]

Not Three versions but translation.

Thank you kindly for those links but I already have three versions of the Qu’ran on my computer and I find that it speaks to me, on a spiritual level, as I try to read a chapter daily. It just feels ‘right ‘sometimes .
So I went to the local mosque could not find anyone who spoke English and went home, because of my job I was viewed with suspicion I think .

Hello there,

The Quran has no versions it is one and only, pure on the face of the earth.

But the translations are there, they might be different.

Thanks

 

[massi]

She is confused about which groups and sects are telling the truth

Question:
I know you have already explained the fact that the way to find the real jammah is one which follows hadith and sunna, as these poeple cannot go astray.
i was with eh-le hadith (saudi salafis) until lately i have received so much info from hanafi's and also shaikh faisal too. they criticise the salafs so much and off cousre with hadith, which i cant really reject. so i put these arguments forward to the salaf and they quoted hadith too and they were equally persuasive, so i cant really reject them too.
i cant leave the salafs because they are the only sound jammah in my little (unnoticed town) where no other organisations are present. apart from the grave? peer worshippers.
and if i do follow them would that constitute me blind following the salafs cos as the hanafi say we must follow only one imam?
to sum up all what is the best solution? why do majority of these groups,sects whatever always quote hadith and then say it has saheeh sanad, but they contradict other hadith? so how can they be authentic? so what is to be done??????.

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

We have discussed in many of our answers the standard by which the Muslim can judge the groups, sects and parties that go against Islam. We will explain it in more detail here:

With regard to differences which you see between the Muslim nowadays, Allaah has not left the people confused and unable to distinguish the true from the false, rather Allaah has created signs by which the truth and those who are sincere may be known, and He has created clear evidence and proof for the correct path, from which no one deviates but he is doomed.

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke of the ummah splitting into seventy-three groups, he said that they would all be in Hell apart from one, the one which follows the same path as him and his companions. This is the standard, so we have no choice but follow in the footsteps of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). It is not sufficient for a person to quote a hadeeth and say that it is saheeh, then use that as evidence to support his madhhab or his point of view according to his own understanding of that hadeeth; rather what he should do is to research whether the Sahaabah understood this hadeeth in this manner or not.

This is the criterion which divides those who really follow the truth from others. This means referring the interpretation of Islam to our righteous forebears, the Sahaabah and those who followed them in truth, for they are the best and most knowledgeable of this ummah, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said.

Anyone who examines the groups that have deviated from the Straight Path will see that they have confused the people by quoting a verse or a hadeeth out of context, so that people think that they are following the Qur’aan and Sunnah, but they cannot prove that this is the way in which the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) understood these texts.

Those who distort the attributes of Allaah, those who worship graves and circumambulate them, those who dance in dhikr, those who deny the divine will and decree (al-qadar), those who say that the Qur’aan was created, and other deviant beliefs and ways, none of them claim that his belief is the same as the belief of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Even if they claim that they have a verse or hadeeth to support them, they cannot prove that their interpretation is the same as that of those who witnessed the revelations and heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), namely the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them).

This is an important and precise standard by means of which a person can know whether what he hears and reads of beliefs and ways whose proponents say is true guidance is in fact true or false.

If you follow what the Salafi scholars tell you of Tawheed, fiqh and hadeeth, this is following true Islam, which Allaah wants for all people. The Shaytaan may come and tell you and whisper to you that this is taqleed (blind imitation) and is not permissible; undoubtedly that is the first step towards deviation from the right path. Allaah has enjoined upon the ordinary Muslim to ask the scholars and to follow their opinions and fatwas. You know that the closest of them to the right path and the truth are those who follow the path of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in their understanding of the Qur’aan and Sunnah; they are the followers of the righteous Salaf.

The Muslim who has some measure of Islamic knowledge can find out for himself whether what he hears or reads is sound or not, by studying and comparing it with that which has been proven from the righteous salaf.

There is no reason why the one who goes against the way of the Salaf should not be right in some cases, but no way or madhhab can be sound apart from the way of the salaf or first generations of this ummah, the Sahaabah and Taabi’een and those who follow them in truth.

Everything quoted by the Salafi scholars is the view of the Sahaabah and of Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib, al-Zuhri, Mujaahid, ‘Ata’, Maalik, Hammaad ibn Zayd, Hammaad ibn Salamah, al-Shaafa’i, Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, and other prominent scholars.

You will find that the innovators quote that which they think supports their view, and ignore that which clearly proves that they are wrong. You will find them mentioning things in their books that goes against the Sunnah, and rejecting the Sunnah because it goes against their books, distorting that which is stated clearly in the Qur’aan, describing as da’eef that which is clearly stated in the Sunnah because it goes against their opinions and their whims and desires, and so on. For this reason they are called ahl al-ahwa’ (people of whims and desires).

With regard to Ahl al-Sunnah, they are more objective, they look at the Sunnah without any bias or preconceptions, and they give the Sunnah – if it is saheeh – precedence over everything else. They do not have any whims and desires that they follow to the extent that they reject a hadeeth or distort a verse for their sake.

In fact there is no contradiction between the texts of the revelation, rather there may appear to be a contradiction in some cases. Every field of knowledge has specialized scholars, so in the field of hadeeth there are scholars who can explain what is saheeh (sound) and what is not, and can explain what is meant and dispel confusion, and reconcile between reports which seem to contradict one another.

To sum up:

The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the people with the most knowledge of this guidance are the scholars of hadeeth, namely the righteous salaf. Those who follow them will be saved and those who go against them will be doomed.

So you must adhere to this path and ask Allaah for guidance and steadfastness.

With regard to the questioner saying that Ahl al-Hadeeth are the “Saudi salafis”, this restriction is not correct.

Ahl al-hadeeth are not restricted to a particular country or to certain people, rather Ahl al-hadeeth includes everyone who follows the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and understands it correctly in accordance with the understanding of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) and those who follow them in truth.

And Allaah is the Guide.

Islam Q&A

 

[Amir_of_spain]

david... the quick answer is that as individuals we got to study and do the research oursleves, we cant afford to just follow anyone and guess that were right. Also dont let the distractions of life, media, politics and culture affect your question for research and truth. For many it has affected them and hence they cant be bothered, ultimately in the long term, it will come back to haunt them as reality is, our final destination is to return to the one who put us here, so lets not be distracted and lets be people of reason.

 

[AdamMuslim]

Assalamou Alikom,

Dear brother "Sir David",

I'm not sure that I'm really qualifed to give you advice. But I have just a few words that I can gave you and truly hoping that they may help.

I think that you have asked the right question (becaming or not muslim?) but you have looked at the wrong answers.

I agree that what is going on in some muslim country is very deplorable but you have to seperate between the Islam as a message and what you have seen in those country. The Isalm as a message is eternal and is intact.

But we as muslim we are just humain and then we are far of being perfect even if (Al hamdoulillah) many of us are really very good exemple.

As result, my advice is to look MAINLY at the message and not exclusivly at the people who are partially "wearing" it.

hope you find the way,
your brother.

 

[Munawar]

:salam2: Sir David,

I guess what is going on is that you are looking at the state of Muslim Ummah and wondering why this ummah has gone so astray if the religion they are following is the best - right?

I think I have a simple answer for you:

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) once said that a time will come when nations of the world will come around you as bunch of hungry men invite themselves towards food. The companions asked if Muslims will we be few in numbers. He said No! You will be in large number but no one will fear you because you would have gone astray, far away from the real teachings of Islam. And so here we are living in that time which our beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has predicted. So you should not look at the present day Muslims but rather look at the real message and teachings of Islam. As Dr. Zakir Naik has said "if a person who doesn't know how to drive a car wrecks a Mercedes, does that mean that Mercedes is a bad car or somehow it is Mercedes's fault?" No! it is the driver's fault. You need to look at the best driver and then decide ... In this case you need to look at the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his companions how they lived their lives.

The above mentioned hadith regarding 'bunch of hungry men inviting themselves towards food': Some one has suggested that the UN Security Council looks like a perfect dining room these days. Also according to this hadith this will be happening in the end of times when Dajjal will be about to appear.

In case you have not noticed Muslims and Muslim countries are under attack not just by "western" military but also by the "western" media and the "western" intelligence agencies etc.

Why I have put quotes around western? To know take a look at websites like: globalreasarch.ca infowars.com or just search the internet for "9/11 Truth" or "911 Truth".

I think you will get many answers explaining the scenario.

One last thing: The main reason you and I are here in this world is for a test. The result of this test will determine if you will go to Hellfire (God forbid) or go the Paradise (InshaAllah) in the next life. So, in my opinion you need to concentrate on this point and strive to lead a life following the Quran and the Sunnah.
Even the children of Muslims after they become adult should erase all the teachings their parents gave to them and should start from the scratch and re-learn Islam from the Quran and Sunnah in order to be sure that they are following the right path.

And remember: Allah is the best Judge and knows what is in your heart.

 

[Obase]

I wasn't conserned about numbers ,its the people I work with are from Islamic countries . I have had clients from Saudi and seen the stories in the press . The story that made me most angry was the poor women who was raped and the judge ordered her to be lashed as she should have been accompanied . Was not being raped punishment enough ?
I have only come across love and mercy in the holy book as for the real world .............

Sir David

We KNow that there is no compultion in religion- but also know we live in a world where there is corruption and tyrancy>leaders of muslims countries do not necessarily follow or interpret the Quran 100%, some have known to go to extremes as well as be moderate- the way forward is to strike a middle balance. Remember Islam lived along side Jews and Christians in Europe and flourished for 800 years- By Allah, any good muslim will want those days back, but the muslim leaders today are not worthy nor do they turn to Allah in all their affairs or refer to the Sunnah of the Messenger Muhammad.
Do not look at what is happening in one area and generalise- this is a weak time for Islam as we are in the news for the wrong reasons and any show of Islam apparently issuing 'rough justice' is jumped on by the media- remember, bad news sells.

 

[galadari]

Brother massi, pls try give a clear answer instead of copying and pasting huge articles, as u shud keep in ur mind dat hes a new comer and we shud try make thngs easy for mr sir david.

and mr. david i aboslutey agree wid u dat all the accusations which u have made regarding the so called islamic countries and about the differrent sects of islam.. i cant believ it when ppl start calling them selves as shia and sunni cos dat thing started after the dead of our prophet (s.a.w) and was not being established by our prophet (S.A.W) , so if anyone asks me if im a shia or a sunni i jus say im a muslim and i dnt care which eva sec they put me in.

i cant give u exact answers for all ur questions because of my ignorance (i do apologise) but yes brother i wud suggest u dat dnt listen to ne one... even if hes an imam or a scholar cos im sure hes gna be within one of those so called sects...... either sunni or shia and acussing each other, i wud request u to follow only wht is written in koran and the hadiths (which are recognised) and inshallah you will be fine....

i hope dat helps jazak allah......

 

[galadari]

thnxs to brother obase... well said.... the muslims did live besdies the jews and the christians and those muslim rulers were more sensible than the present so called rulers of the islamic world who are corrupted and ignorant and has been used extremism as the definiton of islam..

 

[massi]

Brother massi, pls try give a clear answer instead of copying and pasting huge articles, as u shud keep in ur mind dat hes a new comer and we shud try make thngs easy for mr sir david.

thank you brother Galadari for your advice but i think the Fatawas are very clear and it's based in the right way that Muslim must to follow or to the no Muslim must to know ....it's very helpful and we just need time to understand it ... if there are more questions... we are ready to give the clear answer .... also you have to teach people to follow the quran and sunna not a suggest or an opinion from anyone ........
and Allah know the best
sorry for my bad english

 

[another_brother]

Goodluck Sir David.

Insallah you will re-vert.

 

[galadari]

also you have to teach people to follow the quran and sunna not a suggest or an opinion from anyone ........

Brother massi, the claim of yours is quite differrent to wot i have meant in my statement, i have sed i suggest you.. which mins im replying to someones enquiry in a polite manner, 'i wasnt preaching'!!! and teaching in this circumstances is quite irrelevant cos sir david is learning himself ne way as he mentioned earlier he reads quran....

jazak allah....