How to be a good Muslim?
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Peace,
But if you do it to satisfy yourself, you do it for a reward. The reward is the feeling of satisfaction. But why are you feeling satisfied? Because your community rewards such behavior?
You are right. I did not express myself properly, sorry. I shouldn't write something so late....
Yes, what I meant to say was an external reward. The human brain is wired for satisfaction and gratification, so you can get this externally or internally. I don't care much for community acceptance and normative compliance.Long example
I remember, when living in Austria, driving along through a city on our way home and seeing a man, dragging a suitcase behind him on the side of the road. As it was raining I remarked to my wife that this man seemed totally lost. I stopped the car, turned around and then pulled up next to him and asked if we could help him. It turned out he was from Spain, didn?t speak any German and could ? as neither one of us speaks any Spanish ? only communicate in broken English. He had been given a nearby station as the place closest to his hotel, which was still some 10 km away. So I got the number from his reservation confirmation and called the hotel to send a car for him as we only had a two-seater with no luggage space. I described where he could be found and then we went our way. I remember like it was yesterday how this total stranger was so relieved and so grateful that he thanked us with the words god must must have sent you via his angels.Could I picture an angel sending me, the atheist, to help this man? If yes, then why hadn?t this angel summoned one of the many cars in front of us and not let the guy walking in the rain for so long? Why didn?t this angel organise someone who spoke Spanish? Why didn?t this totally incompetent angel find someone with a different car who could have simply driven this poor guy to his hotel instead of all this complicated routine of my having to first call the hotel and then having a car come and fetch him?
Nobody saw this, nobody knows about this. It is not that I did this for a reason but just to help.
You can be rewarded for the before-mentioned corrupt ways too.
Evil ways make you feel bad? Oh well, it does not matter for your natural selection to pity others, survival of the fittest, then you have to be less bleedy.
It is not logical out of an evolutionary perspective to be weak. Better to run your race and secure the future for your offspring. Selfishness is more beneficial here.
Of course, human evolution needs coworkers (slaves), so you have to care for them (a little). But keep to yourself because it is the survival of the fittest. Hoard money and exploit every opportunity so that your family and you are most powerful.
God bless you
Theoretically you are right, of course. Yet I have empathy and compassion. I reckon it is beneficial for the community as a whole, so I do not see an advantage in being selfish.
Maybe that is why I transfer information to others instead of exploiting them ) -
Atheists seem to possess an air of arrogance. A good muslim is someone who is not arrogant.
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Peace justamuslim,
I would say there are humble atheists too. You cannot say all atheists are arrogant people. Many muslims are arrogant as well, even those who call themselves Quran alone or God alone, or Quranist.
God bless you
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One who has a prayerful need in his heart to always possess Salam is a Muslim. There is nothing bad about it at all; and thereafter there is nothing left with you as to what you could do after putting your trust in Him. All good comes from Him; and all bad comes from you. The more humble and the more patient you are, the better would be your 'peace' i.e., salam.
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Atheists seem to possess an air of arrogance. A good muslim is someone who is not arrogant.
That seems very a highly arrogant statement to me Have you ever asked an atheist to explain something to see if your assumption is valid?
So are all arrogant Muslims bad Muslims by your judgement? -
2128 - Oh! God! make us Muslims... forgive us.
The prayer of Ibrahim and Ismael a model for us to follow.
Someone told me all humans are Muslims by birth. So why would anyone have to make a Muslim a Muslim?
Or maybe humans are neutral by birth and require the intellect to accept a particular worldview. -
Salaam,
This discussion reminded me of this verse ?you, soul at peace return to your Lord well pleased and well pleasing; go in among My servants; and into My Garden.? (8927-30) It emphasises to me, God addressing these souls directly, there's the implication of God's intimate knowledge of each of us and giving these souls honour. The verse also emphasises the fundamental importance of peace. Some translations also use the words tranquil, serene and composed. All of these are in essence a part of being at peace.
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Peace Family,
To be a good muslim one must inculcate these words of wisdom
Let us meditate on God, His glorious attributes,
who is the basis of everything in this universe as its Creator,
who is fit to be worshiped as Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient
and self existent conscious being, who removes all ignorance
and impurities from the mind and purifies and sharpens the intellect.Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is One God! Therefore you shall adore the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,with all your mind,
and with all your strength.Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians,
and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day,
and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord.
They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.Say, "Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you
You shall not set up idols besides Him. You shall honor your parents. You shall
not kill your children from fear of poverty?we provide for you and for them. You
shall not commit gross sins, obvious or hidden. You shall not kill?GOD has made
life sacred?except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you,
that you may understand."You shall not touch the orphans' money except in the most righteous
manner, until they reach maturity. You shall give full weight and a full measure
when you trade, equitably. We do not burden any soul beyond its means. You
shall be absolutely just when you bear witness, even against your relatives.
You shall fulfill your covenant with GOD. These are His commandments to you,
that you may take heed.And finally, strive and reflect )
peace
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Peace justamuslim,
I would say there are humble atheists too. You cannot say all atheists are arrogant people. Many muslims are arrogant as well, even those who call themselves Quran alone or God alone, or Quranist.
God bless you
Many Muslims are arrogant but not the kind of arrogance that atheist possess. If an atheist was not so arrogant, s/he would not be an atheist.
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That seems very a highly arrogant statement to me Have you ever asked an atheist to explain something to see if your assumption is valid?
You mean an accurate statement
So are all arrogant Muslims bad Muslims by your judgement?
Just because someone is arrogant does not mean s/he is bad. Atheist, though arrogant, are not bad people.
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Peace,
You are not muslim if you do not actively work to reach a peace of mind. Peace-making. The soul becomes peaceful which is shown in your behavior and actions when you have reached further on the path.
Meditation and practicing on your patience is a good way.
God bless you
Yes, that could be an explanation. Thanks.
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You mean an accurate statement
Just because someone is arrogant does not mean s/he is bad. Atheist, though arrogant, are not bad people.
I've seen this statement before, but nobody has been able to explain it to me. Maybe you can. What do you call arrogant and why would you describe an atheist as being arrogant.
Just to clarify an atheist is someone who passively waits for evidence for the existence of a god. Where do you see arrogance coming into the picture? Am I being arrogant right now? -
Peace.
Allow me to explore a bit about God. God can be understood as a Creator, our Creator. God can also be conceptualised as a belief system. Such as God only belief system. Now, are there other belief system other than God-only? Yes.Group A, God-only are those who follow and obey God-only information as a belief system (God-only words as guidance to believe, think and act.) Group B, those who follow institutionalized religious doctrines as a belief system. They have religious heads and teachers to lead. Group C, those who follows their parents or ancestors as a belief system. Group D, those who have a mixture of several belief systems. Group E, those who don't bother about belief. Group F, those who construct their own belief, a mind of their own. Group G, those who believe that their belief is formed by the forces of nature.
In conclusion, from where you get it (the information source) and you believe in it, and it becomes the way you think and act, that source becomes your God. Everyone has a god, don't you think so?
As for those who follow God-only words, they know that their ardent enemy is satan and their followers on earth among mankind, misleading men and women with fancy words.
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Let us meditate on God, His glorious attributes,
who is the basis of everything in this universe as its Creator,
who is fit to be worshiped as Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient
and self existent conscious being, who removes all ignorance
and impurities from the mind and purifies and sharpens the intellect.Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is One God! Therefore you shall adore the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,with all your mind,
and with all your strength.What is the reason for you to use Hinduism Scripture and Torah for your faith in Islam?
or
Is it allowed in Quran to use another Scripture as source for faith?
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What is the reason for you to use Hinduism Scripture and Torah for your faith in Islam?
or
Is it allowed in Quran to use another Scripture as source for faith?
Peace,
I can't speak for Hawk99, but some (many?) people here refer to other texts that contain strong similarities with the teachings of the Quran as a source of potential wisdom. We are not taking this as a source of divine law or scripture. We recognise that in the texts around the world there are commonalities with the Quran, and this can reflect the point that God sent Messengers and remnants of God's Message remain within some of the texts such as the Bible or other texts as mentioned.
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Peace,
I can't speak for Hawk99, but some (many?) people here refer to other texts that contain strong similarities with the teachings of the Quran as a source of potential wisdom. We are not taking this as a source of divine law or scripture. We recognise that in the texts around the world there are commonalities with the Quran, and this can reflect the point that God sent Messengers and remnants of God's Message remain within some of the texts such as the Bible or other texts as mentioned.
Agreed
Thank you supportpeacenotwar
I cannot categorically state that "all" communities have recieved instuctions to
be righteous, but based on Quran this appears to be the case, therefore, I believe
it to be so. The Quran is the final revelation and the seal of God's books to the world.
This being true, then we can conclude that whatever agrees with Quran must also
be true. Conversely, If the Quran disagrees with the other source, then that other
source is false.The day will come when we will raise from every community a witness
from among them, and bring you as the witness of these people. We have
revealed to you this book to provide explanations for everything, and guidance,
and mercy, and good news for the submitterspeace
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What is the reason for you to use Hinduism Scripture and Torah for your faith in Islam?
Peace Earthdom,
I believed in God before reading the Quran but Islam gives the best explanation
and in my life Islam has superceded the rest, therefore, I no longer need them for faith.
but the knowledge remains.I use them to show the universality of God's truth and guidance. Is not good good
no matter where you find it? Haven't wise men existed throughout time all over the world?
If Gautama says "do not steal" and the Quran says "do not steal" is not Gautama
correct to state so? There is only ONE DEEN but no monoply. Confucius said,
"Heaven means to be one with God". So you see God's influence is world wide
and not confined to one locality. Islam brings all the truths together via Quran.Is it allowed in Quran to use another Scripture as source for faith?
Peace Earthdom,
In my humble opinion if one starts out as christian and the bible is their source of faith,
I do not believe that God would condemn them for starting out that way.Now for us muslims the Quran is the only source of law or the final say in all matters.
Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you
this book fully detailed?* Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been
revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.God is doing everthing
peace
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I'm new to Islam. I'd def consider myself more of a free thinking Muslim, progressive, liberal, etc.
I was just wondering, what is the best way to be a good Muslim?Read words of Allah, think about them and never believe other words than his words.
Ask Allah to explain you his words and in each reading you will understand new things.
be Aware that traductions is words of Allah mixed with understanding of the traductor.Peace