Many Muslims seem to believe that you can not even wish a Christians happy holidays over the holidays but just reading the article from "A Spiritual Note" makes some very valid points.
Jesus was after all a Messenger.. so no one should be running around bad mouthing (backbiting) around that holiday if not for just that reason. Despite what we may think of their ideas about faith.
I get not celebrating it for obvious reasons but its definitely made me feel better about my thoughts of other opinions regarding even acknowledging it. I mean they were even allowed to pray in the mosque so that says something. (imho)
Tolerance, the worlds needs a lot more of it, no matter what religion, race, or gender someone is.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Worship.. what it really means.
(51:56)
"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me."
I was reading the Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam book from alislam.org when they said something and it just went *click* in my head.
"worship" has a very different meaning in the Arab world compared to the western Catholic/Christians use of the word.
"Worship is not just to formally bow
to someone, to a thing, or to a god, or whatever. Worship means to
completely divest oneself of all rights of ownership, to admit that these
rights belong to God.*"
*p23
Reading that and actually thinking about it, there's a lot of truth in that for me.
For me growing up "worship" to those in my life meant when it was convenient, at least with the younger generation.
My grandparents are active in their church community as are my great aunts and uncles.
However no one else ever goes, but they all get married in the good ole catholic church and have the kids baptized hoping that those deeds outweigh the fact they never go to church.
My sister and i were briefly shoved into sunday school however it was more about how can we get them out of the house rather then maybe you should find god.
It didn't last.. no one should have expected it to with our childhood.
Tho we always went to church with our grandparents when we were there.
They have a beautiful church.. i was there for an anniversary party years back. Its still beautiful to me.
Buts it holds no religious significance to me at all.
my best friends mother used to try to get me to go to church with them it was just not going to happen. They go on sunday when they are feel up to it but more so when everyone goes - Christmas and Easter.
Again they hope their god sees that and not all the other things they haven't done.
It just didn't make sense to me, religion should be more then that.
If you're going to worship something it is no longer about you, but rather the person/god/object of your worship.
Something i think the west is lacking - they have adapted convenience in as many aspects of life as possible.
While i admit i too have often been one to take the fastest or easiest route for me, I never could do that when it came to religion or anything else that ever meant anything to me.
I don't know if that has just always been my personality or maybe my mental illness or both.
But be that as it may, it's something I would never change about me.
Allah made me how he made and Allah is never wrong.
"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me."
I was reading the Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam book from alislam.org when they said something and it just went *click* in my head.
"worship" has a very different meaning in the Arab world compared to the western Catholic/Christians use of the word.
"Worship is not just to formally bow
to someone, to a thing, or to a god, or whatever. Worship means to
completely divest oneself of all rights of ownership, to admit that these
rights belong to God.*"
*p23
Reading that and actually thinking about it, there's a lot of truth in that for me.
For me growing up "worship" to those in my life meant when it was convenient, at least with the younger generation.
My grandparents are active in their church community as are my great aunts and uncles.
However no one else ever goes, but they all get married in the good ole catholic church and have the kids baptized hoping that those deeds outweigh the fact they never go to church.
My sister and i were briefly shoved into sunday school however it was more about how can we get them out of the house rather then maybe you should find god.
It didn't last.. no one should have expected it to with our childhood.
Tho we always went to church with our grandparents when we were there.
They have a beautiful church.. i was there for an anniversary party years back. Its still beautiful to me.
Buts it holds no religious significance to me at all.
my best friends mother used to try to get me to go to church with them it was just not going to happen. They go on sunday when they are feel up to it but more so when everyone goes - Christmas and Easter.
Again they hope their god sees that and not all the other things they haven't done.
It just didn't make sense to me, religion should be more then that.
If you're going to worship something it is no longer about you, but rather the person/god/object of your worship.
Something i think the west is lacking - they have adapted convenience in as many aspects of life as possible.
While i admit i too have often been one to take the fastest or easiest route for me, I never could do that when it came to religion or anything else that ever meant anything to me.
I don't know if that has just always been my personality or maybe my mental illness or both.
But be that as it may, it's something I would never change about me.
Allah made me how he made and Allah is never wrong.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Hereafter and Now
"Such is the punishment (in this life) but greater is the punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew!" (68:33)
This particular verse has been mentioned a lot lately in all the media i have been taking in, audio, video and print and its lead me to do a lot of thinking.
Compared to the Prophets, PBUT we all lead simple easy lives, when i realize that i feel such shame for feeling like my life is difficult. Its greatly upsetting to think that some days i feel so low that i am ready to give up yet my life is roses compared to what the Prophets PBUT went through.
Its made me realize that i must do more, and whine less.
Sure, i am disabled and some days that's a right b*tch but its not like i don't have a series of tools to make it easier - ish.
tools that I don't always use like is intended for me to I am sure, and i have no one but me to blame for that.
As the Quran says I would much rather have problems now in this life then be stuck in hell fire for eternity.
Praise Allah for giving me my problems now and not in the Hereafter!
Today is the second day of fasting. The 29th is the start of the new year in Islam.
I must read more about that today.
I am excited and jittery about it, and yet very tired as I got up this morning for my meal before dawn and prayer and have yet to rest since.
I can not decide if i want to rest before the prayer and lecture at ten or if i should just stay up and rest after.
Given that i have to go out and do some shopping today i am guessing that it should be resting now and after.
Must also pick up some headbands/underscarves to keep my hair back. Its starting to make me nuts but i would rather not lop it off.
Tho i have decided to let it go natural for awhile to see if i can get it long and healthy again.
This particular verse has been mentioned a lot lately in all the media i have been taking in, audio, video and print and its lead me to do a lot of thinking.
Compared to the Prophets, PBUT we all lead simple easy lives, when i realize that i feel such shame for feeling like my life is difficult. Its greatly upsetting to think that some days i feel so low that i am ready to give up yet my life is roses compared to what the Prophets PBUT went through.
Its made me realize that i must do more, and whine less.
Sure, i am disabled and some days that's a right b*tch but its not like i don't have a series of tools to make it easier - ish.
tools that I don't always use like is intended for me to I am sure, and i have no one but me to blame for that.
As the Quran says I would much rather have problems now in this life then be stuck in hell fire for eternity.
Praise Allah for giving me my problems now and not in the Hereafter!
Today is the second day of fasting. The 29th is the start of the new year in Islam.
I must read more about that today.
I am excited and jittery about it, and yet very tired as I got up this morning for my meal before dawn and prayer and have yet to rest since.
I can not decide if i want to rest before the prayer and lecture at ten or if i should just stay up and rest after.
Given that i have to go out and do some shopping today i am guessing that it should be resting now and after.
Must also pick up some headbands/underscarves to keep my hair back. Its starting to make me nuts but i would rather not lop it off.
Tho i have decided to let it go natural for awhile to see if i can get it long and healthy again.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Islam media...
I spent a good chunk of today watching Ar-Risaalah (The Message) Wow. is all i can say, its emotional and breath taking. It also made me more sure that i am on the right path, not that i had any doubts.
I put that on my amazon wish list so i'd not lost it and discovered a national geographic program called inside mecca. To my surprize it is also on you tube in parts.
Also the sister i spoke with is indeed incorrect on some level she seems to think that there is no 'devil' however, in the beauty in islam series the jinn who did not bow to adam has been called the devil and continues today to being the hell fire because he refuses to repent.
My own story of converting and how hard it has been to get information has showed me that society does a poor job of helping others be open to religion because its not taught properly.
Catholic schools teach only that and even university classes focus on the catholic side of things.
Thats unfair and wrong.
I put that on my amazon wish list so i'd not lost it and discovered a national geographic program called inside mecca. To my surprize it is also on you tube in parts.
Also the sister i spoke with is indeed incorrect on some level she seems to think that there is no 'devil' however, in the beauty in islam series the jinn who did not bow to adam has been called the devil and continues today to being the hell fire because he refuses to repent.
My own story of converting and how hard it has been to get information has showed me that society does a poor job of helping others be open to religion because its not taught properly.
Catholic schools teach only that and even university classes focus on the catholic side of things.
Thats unfair and wrong.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Learning Arabic and study tools.
so after some digging around i got myself some some software to help with my learning Arabic, i also figured out that software and site i found to make flashcards for my cell phone is perfect for this, at least will be once i figure out why my phone suddenly wont connect in the browser.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Starting off.
I'm not sure I realized prior to my being to study the Quran how much Islam moved me or just how much I felt it from the inside.
I knew i felt it, you can't experience the Whirling Dervishes and not... but... wow.
I had started reading it a month or so ago until my kitten decided to remove my bookmark.
So i restarted - this time studying more as i went and doing more prayer.
Making notes of the verses that really hit me so I can come back to them.
I have also looked into learning Arabic, its just something that I have to do, I need to be able to read the Quran the way it was intended to be read.
The library has some audio books but i am debating on purchasing it since I would be using it that much.
I still have yet to stop thinking about the other night.. thinking about it just gives me shivers and I am not sure what to make of it.
I think that ones going to sit with me for a long time.
I was reading about fasting the other day and it got me to thinking about the Christians and their saying Hail Marys and whether Christians fasted but of all the Christians i know none of them ever fast. (They practice their faith)
I don't know if its just my not feeling anything when i think about that faith and my attempt to make myself fit - but it doesn't seem that there is anything to strive at. No reality in it, no chance for self or spiritual improvement or development.
It all just felt like one big story book to me.
Also why the need for more then one god?
I had the same trip up in Paganism with the Sun and Moon gods/goddess.
Its like it was said in a lecture i was watching if that was the case then one would always be taking from the other and we would never end up where we are.
IMHO there can only be one god.. and that's why.
The one thing i was reading today that made me curious tho, if wine and alcohol is forbidden why does Allah say it shall be in paradise for us? (47:15)
"The allegory of Paradise that is promised for the righteous is this: it has rivers of unpolluted water, and rivers of fresh milk, and rivers of wine - delicious for the drinkers - and rivers of strained honey. They have all kinds of fruits therein, and forgiveness from their Lord. (Are they better) or those who abide forever in the hellfire, and drink hellish water that tears up their intestines?"
Food for my thought.
I knew i felt it, you can't experience the Whirling Dervishes and not... but... wow.
I had started reading it a month or so ago until my kitten decided to remove my bookmark.
So i restarted - this time studying more as i went and doing more prayer.
Making notes of the verses that really hit me so I can come back to them.
I have also looked into learning Arabic, its just something that I have to do, I need to be able to read the Quran the way it was intended to be read.
The library has some audio books but i am debating on purchasing it since I would be using it that much.
I still have yet to stop thinking about the other night.. thinking about it just gives me shivers and I am not sure what to make of it.
I think that ones going to sit with me for a long time.
I was reading about fasting the other day and it got me to thinking about the Christians and their saying Hail Marys and whether Christians fasted but of all the Christians i know none of them ever fast. (They practice their faith)
I don't know if its just my not feeling anything when i think about that faith and my attempt to make myself fit - but it doesn't seem that there is anything to strive at. No reality in it, no chance for self or spiritual improvement or development.
It all just felt like one big story book to me.
Also why the need for more then one god?
I had the same trip up in Paganism with the Sun and Moon gods/goddess.
Its like it was said in a lecture i was watching if that was the case then one would always be taking from the other and we would never end up where we are.
IMHO there can only be one god.. and that's why.
The one thing i was reading today that made me curious tho, if wine and alcohol is forbidden why does Allah say it shall be in paradise for us? (47:15)
"The allegory of Paradise that is promised for the righteous is this: it has rivers of unpolluted water, and rivers of fresh milk, and rivers of wine - delicious for the drinkers - and rivers of strained honey. They have all kinds of fruits therein, and forgiveness from their Lord. (Are they better) or those who abide forever in the hellfire, and drink hellish water that tears up their intestines?"
Food for my thought.
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