Salaam
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I dont really know where to start
I?m just someone who appreciates learning and searching for information.
I came to this site by accident. I was searching for information about interfaith marriages and what the Quran said about it.
I came across a lot of information and finally ended up on this site. There are a lot of opinions about it for sure out there. But most are in agreement that it is not something encouraged.Anyway, what started out as a search on a specific topic ended up changing the way I view religion. Particularly Islam. It changed my relationship to God.
I am from a sunni family, and my whole life I was thought certain things, about life, death, how we are supposed to live and so on.
I believed in God but lived in guilt because I was never able to live up to what was expected of me according to the sunni community. I mean the prayers, the dressing, who to hang out with etc. When I got to the age of 23, I started to read more about Islam, (in the sunni way of seeing things) and it made me get in to religion even more. I started to wear the hijab. Because in the eyes of the sunni, that was the best thing to do for a women. So I began to see the world in a sense that the muslims that was wearing the hijabs and praying and so on where a step ahead of getting closer to God. And the rest were going to get there eventually, and if they don?t, God is merciful. ( self-righteous!)But I always had something nagging at me, how come if the Quran was complete, we needed Hadith? And Hadith were man made so how come we are using hadith to legislate and saying haram and halal to things that was not spoken about in the Quran? How come so many hadith contradicted each other? Well I never got any answers that satisfied me, but I was sure there was something wrong. But I never got to it. Life and all?.
Anyway, about 3-4 years ago I met a man, a Christian from Egypt, a Coptic. I fell head over heels. But there was a big problem with the religions, both his and mine. So after a year of seeing eachother, I started to do some research on the topic, and after a lot of disappointments I found some articles that gave me some hope. I was never considering changing my faith and nor did he. We were both strong in our convictions. So I continued to see him.
I always thought that Islam was hard and had a lot of prohibitions, but little did I know that the Coptic Church had its own set of rules that was extreme in my eyes. He on his side started to ask his father in church and another father and so on and they all closed their doors at him and us. I was confused for the longest time. This led me to continue my search for the truth. And I ended up opening my eyes to my own beliefs. What Islam was and that there were so many views. Of course I knew about shia and sunni, and the other belief systems within Islam but I never examined them deeply. But what I discovered was a world full of people, scholars etc that refute the hadith completely.I was excited, relived, and at the same time eager to know more. And the more I got to know the more it felt like a fog was lifting from my mind. It was amazing!
I have to admit, it challenges me to understand some viewpoints out there, and some right out scare me. For instance I?ve been reading about the La illah idea. I haven?t been able to stomach that yet. I don?t really get it, and what little I get doesn?t resonate with me.
But the beautiful thing is that I am willing to understand and learn. And what I really fathomed with this journey is that I really only need to do that. Continue to learn and only do what I?m convinced is right this moment. I hope u all understand what I mean.
One of my favorite quotes from Maya Angeluo ; ?when you know better you do better?.
I have gained hope, faith, and relief from this journey. And I feel closer to Allah. And I hope I can learn more with an open mind. My prayer is always; guide me to the straight path, whatever it may be.As for the story between me and my beloved; we still have a long journey ahead of us. Ironically, I feel freed in my faith, but the more I learn about his, the familiar feeling I had with the sunni faith start to come back to me, suffocating me.
I love him dearly and I respect him for his beliefs and his commitment. But it?s only recently I?m realizing that family life will be hard for us, children and so on. I want my children to live in freedom from dogmas and such. I want us to be a family who isn?t afraid of exploring, and learning and challenging ourselves in the ways we think. But I don?t think he is there at all. But who knows? God works in mysterious ways.
This is my story! I really tried to make it short, but it just grew as I was writing.
I apologize in advance for my spelling; English is not my first language.
Please don?t hesitate to write back or ask any questions.
Salaam -
Peace SarahS,
What we think is good for us may actually be bad. What we think is bad for us may actually be good. Only God knows. Trust Him and hand over the responsibility of your life, marriage, etc. He will guide you.
And then again, if we pray sincerely in our heart, mind (prayer should never be spoken out loud. For God knows what our mind communicates to us) God will make our life so smooth and easy. We need not worry about children upbringing, etc. as He will take care if we entrust to Him, after all it is He who brings them into existence.
Gita
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Welcome Sarah
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Wassalam welcome to this forum
Your story is nice one but keep pray for it and you're not alone in term "English is not first language".
Egypt is nice country and the first country who recognize our independence after the Japanese occupation.
Please don?t hesitate to write back or ask any questions.
Is Egypt's constitution order women to wear hijab?
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No.
So @PixelAngleBaby and @Leyna lied to me in the past >(
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So @PixelAngleBaby and @Leyna lied to me in the past >(
Well, I don't know. I stayed with my brother in Egypt when he used to work there and I never wore a head scarf, and there were lots of Muslim Egyptian women who didn't either. I socialised with women who dressed like any other women in the west and weren't at all conservative.
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Well, I don't know. I stayed with my brother in Egypt when he used to work there and I never wore a head scarf, and there were lots of Muslim Egyptian women who didn't either. I socialised with women who dressed like any other women in the west and weren't at all conservative.
In where you stay?? After reading some of your posts in here you always traveling to many country? sorry to ask what is your job actually?
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Salaam,
Where in Sweden do you live, SarahS?
God bless you
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Greetings and Peace, all group
@SarahS welcome
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.peace
~Abdul-Hadi
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I get so touched by your welcome!
I live in Stockholm, Man of Faith.
As for religion is concerned, Im getting to where I?m seeing that God has no religion as we define it. There is a system of God but thats it.
I mean all the names we use, like Christian, Buddhist, Muslim etc , and the rituals associated with each religion as if one way of thinking is the most correct one. I think I have been so misstaken there.
These are all our own inventions.There is a natural law, and thats it.
And God has through the years given us revelations/sighs/messengers to remind us of this.
To know He exists, to stop corrupting, and do good, and to remember Him and try to stay close to Him.Everything else is our own inventions.
It?s so simple when I write it down like this.
This is where I am in my thoughts right now. I could be wrong, may God guide me and all of us to the straight path.
Any thoughts?
Peace
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Salaam SarahS,
Okay. Me too, in a few days.
God bless you