Salam, I am new. I need help.
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salaam/peace,
In my view, what to do is quite simple. Continue to read and study The Quran, and implement what you learn gradually. For example, if you currently think praying 5 times a day with a set format is correct then continue, and also continue to read and study The Quran and you can refine your understanding and practice as you learn more.
The key is to be sincere in your efforts and do the best you can. If you are researching salat here, then I recommend beginning with the compilation thread
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9598319.0 -
Salam, sister.
My head is spinning.
Take some rest, please. You'll be alright, inshaAllah. Don't worry! ;D
My advice is that you should continue reading Qur'an carefully.
Keep learning Qur'an with patience (no need to hurry) and keep invoke Allah for help.
And for praying method... well people here may have difference views, but here we're also learning.
However you can search quite many posts related with salat here (you can use search function).
Peace and welcome! )
? W E L C O M E ?
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Read the Quran from its chronological order and totally ignore chapters you have not read. .
http//wikiislam.net/wiki/Chronological_Order_of_the_Qur'an
Follow closely the instructions, step by step, verse by verse, and chapter by chapter to the end. .
Even Muhammad cannot complete the whole Quran in one day, so it is okay! peace
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In my view, what to do is quite simple. Continue to read and study The Quran, and implement what you learn gradually. For example, if you currently think praying 5 times a day with a set format is correct then continue, and also continue to read and study The Quran and you can refine your understanding and practice as you learn more.
The key is to be sincere in your efforts and do the best you can.
Salaam and welcome
What brother Wakas said is the best way to follow, inshaAllah.
May Allah bless you pr
mmKhan -
Thank you so much! I was feeling despair and do not know what to do and frozen in fear. I feel sad for my father, my mom, my husband, my siblings. I feel sad for those good people I love who still are not able to see... I am learning, insyaAllah.
Thank you for reassuring me to take it one day at a time.... i have been talking to my closest friends and they all see me as a wacko. And my husband and my friends were telling me to talk to scholars to verify. I was desperate for conversations and then i found this forum. I have been a silent reader all these while, reading and reading and readingg and digging and everything is so overwhelming, then only to realize I havent actually read the Quran. Currently reading the translation (kindle version) from this site and comparing it with a few versions just to help clarify.
Thank you all for your kind replies, it means a lot to me. I have a lot to learn. How to establish solat, how to pay zakat... Is it ok to pray in congregation with sunnis etc, I will first dig into the thread brother wakas pointing at.
At the moment I have denounced hadiths but I have to keep it a secret to maintain peace and sanity. My worry is just how am I going to pray (as I am now still comfortable praying the traditional way) during my menses and my husband will surely think i am committing sins. And to break fast at night instead of sunset. I have to come up with excuses if asked because for sunnis it is sunnah to break fast as soon as possible (sunset) and its makrooh to delay breaking fast.
Just to clarify, according to Quran, the fasting time is from the thread of dawn, meaning from the fajr prayer til night? Is it? Meaning no more food and drink since it is fajr prayer time? Sorry if this question is redundant. My native laguage is not english, so I might get it wrong from reading only. And night is when it is total darkness right? So about the second half of maghrib time before isya? (Sorry I am still talking regarding traditional prayer time as reference) btw i am from Malaysia, perhaps that helps to explain my background.
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Peace sister,
Welcome to the forum. Glad to hear that you saw the light and felt the corruption.
God bless you
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I don't think, that site would help anyone. You go deeper within it, they endorse the trash of sunni/shias.
It is okay, I'm just referring to the chronological order of the revelations
or . . . perhaps you can give the correct chronological order of the revelations . .and. . I'm sure not all their teachings are garbage because many here are also following their teachings, logically speaking. . peace
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Just to clarify, according to Quran, the fasting time is from the thread of dawn, meaning from the fajr prayer til night? Is it? Meaning no more food and drink since it is fajr prayer time?
mmm. . I wonder whether Allah is mentioning about not taking food or drink in the month of Ramadhan. .
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And night is when it is total darkness right?
That is not my understanding. You may find the following helpful
And a sign for them is the layl/night, We strip/peel/remove from it the nahar/daytime, whereupon they are those in darkness.
Question If "layl" has no "nahar", is it possible to strip/peel/withdraw "nahar" from it?
No, thus "layl" definitely has some "nahar" in it, and this occurs at evening twilight /dusk."sun/shams" is a feminine noun. "brightness/duha" is a masculine noun. Thus
By the sun and its brightness.
And the moon that follows it.
And the "nahar" (day) that reveals it.
And the "layl" (night) that covers it.When the sun is covered it is layl/night. This happens immediately after sunset, i.e. evening twilight /dusk.
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Thank you so much! I was feeling despair and do not know what to do and frozen in fear. I feel sad for my father, my mom, my husband, my siblings. I feel sad for those good people I love who still are not able to see... I am learning, insyaAllah. i have been talking to my closest friends and they all see me as a wacko. And my husband and my friends were telling me to talk to scholars to verify.
At the moment I have denounced hadiths but I have to keep it a secret to maintain peace and sanity
It is never easy to contradict the status quo. I embrace Quran alone mid last year. But up till this very day, i can't fully practice in my family house. The truth is, for as long as people are satisfied with their life, they wouldn't want to make a change. Nowadays am a pissed off fellow, i find myself at the crossroad condemned to choose between my family or my belief. I get judged and questioned by sunni zealots who are not ready to employ research and reasoning. I recall the first time i uttered iqama without invoking Muhammad 's name. My mum went bonkers. Most people arent looking for the truth. For as long as they have it comfortable in their affair, spare them the details. But God willing, as soon as am done with schooling 3 years from now, i 'll find a place for myself. I love my family, i love my friends but i cannot take a religion that condemn questioning, human values of peace and freedom over the scripture.
You may keep your religious view a secret but it will be more like pretending. Controversial times and events may arise and you may be forced to speak out. That is how serious it is.
Is it ok to pray in congregation with sunnis etc.
well i dont think so. Sunnis invoke Muhammad in their iqama, tashahood and recite extra verses that tell history instead of only those that glorify and invoke God, like Al Fatiha. That is against Quran code for salat(Quran 2945, 721
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Salam all,
My head is spinning. I am brought up as sunni. Quran only makes a lot of sense to me and lifted heavy burdens in my heart. I told my husband about this and he was worried sick that I became 'deviated'. The final blow was when he saw me perform the traditional salat (I only ommitted the durood) during my menses. And I stopped performing salat afterwards. My heart is worried sick that I did not perform salat. This is all so new to me as I always uphold my 5 prayers, etc. and then theres the interpretation of only 3 salat. Some say 5 some say 6... And then theres no ritual. I am so new that i did not even finish reading the whole quran (well previously I only pick and choose which surah I shall read, I am still learning quran) i believe i am still 'veiled' from understanding of the quran? And then theres an argument of what invalidates wudu...
Please... I am worried. What should i do now? Pray? Not pray? Is upholding my previous practice allowed? I am lost. How do you pray? This is sooooo new to me i dont know what to think anymore. Sorry if i sounded like a complete moron... '( '( '(
tell you parents they are sectarian... you were brought up sectarian.
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Peace,
You should not be afraid of not performing a "prayer" out of confusion. The communion is there for you to maintain a connection to your Master high above, and that you receive frequent guidance and remain in symbiosis with the Maker so to say. People without knowledge have made it into a ritual without likeness making it senseless and "robot-like". It is for your sake you perform this contact with the Master, and not for the Maker, that you may keep doing what is right and be "tuned in" with the balance of the force (of God). It is basically a focused resemblance of a meditative trance (ie. to push distracting thoughts away to process clearly) and thus open the mind to "channel" guidance. Muslims, and other groups of the middle eastern traditions, also involve physical movement in form of an ancient greeting, not always necessarily in "religious" context but could also be prostration towards someone you wished to show additional respect to. The spiritual aspect of your communion with God is however what is the actual "salat" and, as The Master puts in one part of the recitation revealed to his servant X (Muhammad), to prevent immorality and vice, and that is because you simply "channel" guidance and allow your consciousness to "think clearly and process and evaluate your actions with your share of the spirit rather than with the devilish influence of this world and your own ego.
The recitation to the fallible servant X (allegedly Muhammad) says the communions (salat) should be performed at decreed times and the amount is in dispute on this forum, so supposedly you will have to choose a theory that seems most right. MINE is that the Master prescribes two main communions at both ends of the day and "at least" one during the daylight hours but also to do them as required based on your need for guidance in specific matters. I refer both to my own interpretation of some passages of the recitation to the alleged X (Muhammad) and certain historical references from the Bible which "hint" at personal prayer schedules mornings, after noon and after nightfall.
2458 (I think) reveals of private times after salat isha and before salat fajr indicating, according to my logic, that these "salat" are performed before you retire or return from retirement of the day and not until it is time to sleep or not before you are going to get up in the morning. So not sleep until early dawn and then go back to sleep. That is senseless based on the reason you actually perform that action, as you will not be focused and your brain functional if you push it to rise in the twilight through alarm (note that ancient people did not even have this feature) and the expected result of communion is to "prevent immorality and vice".
Unreliable sources (Bible) indicate that the individuals performed their "prayers" once they got up in the morning and not that they woke up at, for example, 4 a.m and then went back to sleep for yet another hours.
And there is no exact timing for a midday communion. Nothing is mentioned about any precision of when it is due. One unreliable source from the hearsay of the Bible say that a person was "to perform the 3 o'clock prayer which is in the beginning of the afternoon, but it is likely a personal preference. Habits can be useful to remember to do something and why some people chose a certain time for practice. This kind of scheduling likely caused it to be canonized as "asr" prayer in the Muhammadan tradition.
The reason this topic is to disputed is because people expect to have precise decreed information regarding it and that the Arabic tongue is so formed after dogma. Arabic words are so corrupted that they do not even carry their original meaning. You can look at salah and zakat, and you can look at ketaab which does not mean book at all, not even remotely but it means "a decree" as noun and to "decree something" as verb. And you can look at the word used for "beat" in 434 that does not mean physically hit something at all. And Islam is not the name of a religion and the faith in the Master has no name at all and it is simply faith (iman). And s - l - m (the root word that salaam, islaam and m - slem stem from) does not even mean submit but something much less intense and more like to the get into balance or even symbiosis. This image of the Master has caused many faithless to regard God as a tyrant and the Maker is often called things like "Arab god". The Force does not scream "submit!" to Ebrahem in a passage revealed to the fallible man X (allegedly Muhammad) and One does not tell people to kill people who do not believe in The Master, but tells them to defend the innocent and weak and even decrees it as something anyone belonging to the Master's side must do.
God bless you
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Salam,
Thank you brother wakas for sharing about the definition of layl. I think it makes sense too so breaking fast at sunset is ok then.
Brother muslim, thanks I will look into that for chronological order (phews! So many to learn! And unlearn!) and your question is also a lead to my research on fasting later on.
I think, I am beginning to get it regarding salat. Since I am brought up sunni (sectarian, pagan or whatever, more about this later) and I am a fully practicing one that is, came from a devout parents, came from religious school... So it is a little urm... Earth-shattering doesnt even begin to describe it. My whole foundation of faith crumbles right under my feet and i am really scrambling to get my footing.
So my first concern is salat. At the moment I am still not sure between 2 and 3 prescribed time but so far my reasoning is inclined to 2 obligatory times. Still not so sure so until it is clear (i am still wiping my blurry glasses) I am beginning to see salat is actually something of an oath-declaration to God. Saying it clearly so that you can hear yourself saying it (when its done alone), in moderate voice that is being humble, standing that it is formal, fully conscious with your whole being that is personal. Its the bond. The contract.
This is what I get from mmkhan in one of the salat posting that summarizes salat that currently understand (on what to do)
1- Salaat is for remembrance of your Allah - 2014
2- Say "Praise be to Allah who has not taken a son, nor does He have a partner in sovereignty, nor does He have an ally out of weakness." - 17111
3- Glorify His Greatness - 17111
4- Remember Allah as He taught you - 2239
5- Prostrate to end your Salaat - 4102
Ok, considering I am still raw... (I am still shaken actually) may I ask for an example of how a salat being done? My mind still needs some fine tuning and adjusting. I think most of you are already familiar on how a sunni will demand a tiny minute details... Well... Thats what i am looking for too, to be honest... At least, as like a training wheel for me to let go of the ingrained 'salat' ritual i've been taught since very young. I can understand some arabic words, I did learn arabic in school but I am not so good at it. But the basic is still there. This is also an ingrained you-cannot-speak-other-language-in-salat-ritual. But I am trying to let go and at least start with laguage that I can directly understand.
Sorry if this post is getting long, I needed to process what I learned by having conversation, as I cannot discuss this with anyone I know at the moment. i have tried, it seems at this time I have to do this on my own here (locally in my hometown, i know no one else who follow quran only)
I also get it that sujood is not a physical head on the ground. But how do you exactly 'do' it? Say something? Or acknowledge? Or 'feel' it...? feeling humbled and submission
Brother neptin. When i was frantically searching on how to do salat from quran, i had still not get it, hence that question of congregation prayers. I have always prefered to 'salat' alone before this. Now with my new understanding of salat, then congregational prayers makes more sense and why it is better. And definitely cannot be done with sunnis. And yes, I will have to be pretentious. i honestly do not know how long i will be able to keep it up as I find myself cringing now when my father talks about prophet Muhammad. (I am still researching the s.a.w part)
Regarding sunnis. Initially I thought it was just small difference. As I dug deeper and realized the grave error of idol worship in sunnis. It made me cry, recalling what i did, what my parents did and still doing. What everyone around me is doing without realizing it and are in denial of idol worship. At first i thought it was not idol worship, but when i look again really closely, it actually is, astaghfirullah. '( what kept on playing in my head was my fathers words. He said Muhammad, the only name that is being put next to Allah. The only name that is said together with Allah in shahadah (astaghfirullah, may Allah guides my beloved father '( ) at the time when he said it, it is glorifying Muhammad as a beloved prophet. So beloved to Allah that his is the only name allowed to be said together with Allah's name. Astaghfirullah when I reflect back THAT is EXACTLY idol-worshipping and shirk! We used to speak like as if Muhammad can hear us... Ok... Enough already, it is painful to think that my beloved family, every single one of them is commiting shirk without them realizing it. Like theres a hijab that covers their eyes so they simply cannot see. I can only continue to pray for them. '( '( '(
It will be difficult for me, may Allah make it easy, that in this vulnerable time i still find myself shaken and everything feels so surreal. Rejecting hadith seems so easy. But digging deeper and learning anew... Everything is so contradictory! (And the feeling of the ground beneath my feet disappears still comes about)
Salat is so simple, (compared to how I was taught in sunnism) that it is hard for me to see it. So I am asking for anyone who could give me an example, perhaps through private message, i dont know. I need to ask stupid questions such as, "so you just do this and that and thats it?"
Yes, its true ManOfFaith,
people expect to have precise decreed information
I am one of those... I will try my best not to ask for anything precise, just a 'training wheels' for me to start with. Thank you so much for being here to give support for some one like me. May Allah bless you. -
tell you parents they are sectarian... you were brought up sectarian.
But, remember that we should be careful to speak such thing to our parents. This is very serious issue, and I agree that we should inform something to them,
but we should keep respect to our parents.
I suppose if you said to them that they're sectarian, most probably it'll hurt their feelings.
Try to tell them in good way and speak to them in humble manner.
And keep patience and steadfast for anything that may happen between you and your parents if you choose to follow God's orders in the Qur'an.
My life does not feel the same anymore compared before, but the result of my decision (follow what I believe) is not in vain, because in myself I feel more peaceful and calm.
I feel peace knowing that God truly cares about me, He saves me from darkness.
God truly cares for us, but so many people are unappreciative.
Peace.
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Peace burnian
I tried to give you a hint in my previous post about how to perform salat (communion as I prefer to call it due to its more precise definition). I still perform it with the ancient prostration and bow down because it is a kind of expression for me to my Master. But my focus in the practice is seeking Nearness and Guidance even so more than glorification although it is part of something I read. I read the traditional prayer in the book commonly called "Qur'an" and the prayer which Jesus suggests that believers read in the Gospel testimonies (probably) written by Jesus' followers. Whether Jesus uttered it or not does not matter as it is a fine prayer because of well-suited words. Sometimes I also read in English a few passages of Quran suggested to be said during nightly communion which read something like "My Master; admit me an honorable admittance, let me depart an honorable departure, give me from you a powerful support".
Except that then comes the important part and that is the communication and meditative trance to get more insight into your situation thanks to the fact The Master helps you see more clearly when you focus and communicate. Salat loosely mean contact and why it is popular to call it "contact prayer" even though I dislike the term due to its imprecise definition. It is more than prayer but like bonding or the likes.
3, 4 or 5 communions/prayers or as some suggest; 2 prayers, the more the merrier, but you should have time to work good deeds too. It is the main focus of your life and the determining factor of your fate in the end.
The Master seems to require us to perform salat, but we need to remember that its intricate meaning is to keep the bond so it does not necessarily mean to prostrate and bow down. Bowing and prostration do hardly help you prevent immorality on their own, that only people with little knowledge think. In fact it would only impress The Master at best but shallow prostration without the connection part is redundant.
And it is probably equal to prostration to carry out The Master's mission such as help the weak and oppressed and to stop evildoers. That can likely count as equal to simple physical prostration. But certainly making a bow down can give a feeling of great reverence and appreciation towards the one who sent you, me and everyone else.
You need to remember that The Master is not a man with typical human traits and it is not like you represent yourself as you would to a man. The Master is not narrow-minded and needing things exactly in a specific way to be pleased, so as long as the deed is good then you are fine. The guidance that communion grants will help you determine what is good or if you know it then it will help you know even better.
It is common among the crowd to think of The Master like a kind of grumpy old man, but that image is false. No one is more loving than The Master and no one is as fair. And The Master cannot be seen, but only perceived through the the result of an action and also only felt that way. With modern words we can say that The Master is an 'energy', like a force field, but without a possibility to measure it standing above our comprehension.
If the energy of The Master would come close to your house then your outlets would generate might sparks and your lamps start shining and even break and the fuses near you blow out. And phones would start ringing due to the enormous energy field that encompasses your house.
That strong is the energy emitting from The Master and it is inevitable to avoid that The Creator is there. No wonder why evil people would not be able to stand the presence of the Maker.
And The Master could control the ground of your house and make it shake and utterly destroy your entire neighborhood. It would be easy for The Sovereign to do, given a reason for it.
Now I am certain that you are not like the one deserving his house demolished but I was only demonstrating the full power of this station (of The Master). Yes, it would be as easy as it seems when the Death Star fires upon the planet and even easier (ref. Star Wars motion picture by Lucasarts).
I just wanted you to know The Master is not a primitive neanderthal god with equally primitive needs to be pleased. The Creator is the most advanced being you could ever imagine, and is not a man nor a woman and is not begotten by anyone but simply exists. Behaving primitively is an insult to this perfect intelligence. But awareness of the One who sent you is rewarded plentifully and so are your deeds. You will want to be part of this powerful energy in the galaxies or you will miss out on your ability to truly excel. Start bonding right away and take your daily issues and decisions together with The Master day and night.
And remember that The Master's pen does never run out of ink.
God bless you
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Dear burnian,
Salam alaykum and welcome to the forum.
Please sister, do not hasten to let yourself reach into conclusions such as "sujud does not mean prostrating physically". As I am sure you will know, not all posts on Free-minds lead you to the straight path / truth. Here some people will tell you things like sujud is not physical prostration; saum is not fasting / abstaining from eating and drinking; hajj is not pilgrimage; the word nabi does not mean prophet; our last and final prophet's name is not Muhammad (pbuh); Jesus is not Isa; Muhammad (pbuh) was not in Mecca; qibla is not prayer direction; salat is not prayer; zakat has nothing to do with charity; riba is not interest etc. I can go on and on with many more assertions which they have made.
Truth is one. Not all can be truth. Therefore, even if we can never find out the truth in our whole lifetime on this earth regarding each and every aspect of our deen, it is expected from the believers to do the best they can to keep up their duties to God with sincerity.
The following verses may help you realize this
Those who listen to the Word (the Quran) and follow the best of it (Arabic fayattabi'una ahsanahu) those are the ones whom God has guided and those are the one's endowed with understanding (391
So keep your duty to God as best you can / what you are able (Arabic ma is?tata?tum), and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful (6416)
And follow the best of what is revealed to you from your Lord, before the penalty comes to you suddenly while you do not perceive! (3955)
So don't just read The Book, but read it carefully. Do your research, use your God-gifted brain, ponder and meditate on each and every verse of the Quran. Study as many translations as possible and compare them with each other. Insha'Allah, you will come to an overall better position than where you are at the moment.
Regards.
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Truth is one. Not all can be truth. Therefore, even if we can never find out the truth in our whole lifetime on this earth regarding each and every aspect of our deen, it is expected from the believers to do the best they can to keep up their duties to God with sincerity.
The following verses may help you realize this
Those who listen to the Word (the Quran) and follow the best of it (Arabic fayattabi'una ahsanahu) those are the ones whom God has guided and those are the one's endowed with understanding (391
So keep your duty to God as best you can / what you are able (Arabic ma is?tata?tum), and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful (6416)
And follow the best of what is revealed to you from your Lord, before the penalty comes to you suddenly while you do not perceive! (3955)
So don't just read The Book, but read it carefully. Do your research, use your God-gifted brain, ponder and meditate on each and every verse of the Quran. Study as many translations as possible and compare them with each other. Insha'Allah, you will come to an overall better position than where you are at the moment.
I LIKE it! Very much agree.
Very good advice for everybody.
Peace.
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But God willing, as soon as am done with schooling 3 years from now, i 'll find a place for myself. I love my family, i love my friends but i cannot take a religion that condemn questioning, human values of peace and freedom over the scripture.
Wow I admire your determination
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thank you everyone, I am not panicking any more. alhamdulillah. thank you for your kind advice. I really appreciate it and will keep it in my learning, searching for truth.
Insha'Allah, you will come to an overall better position than where you are at the moment.
this helps me slows down and breathe and remember to focus that only He guides.The Master seems to require us to perform salat, but we need to remember that its intricate meaning is to keep the bond so it does not necessarily mean to prostrate and bow down
and this is what I need to internalize first and foremost. Until I find the answers to my questions... I will strive my best in the way that I know how and implore the Lord to forgive me if I am in the wrong for I only wish to obey Him.Thank you again everyone, for your kind words... Only God can repay your kindness. peace
