I think belief should be based on understanding, and God created language as a means to understand. Belief is a good place to start, but greater understanding comes through the written word. I read somewhere words are alive, therefore they should not be taken for granted. If we look (or read) in the right place, then God can offer His guidance. To believe, we do not need books, but to know, we need books. They are a part of God's plan and provisions. Our minds are fed by them, and our hearts change through them. I do not believe, however, that we need every book, and only God's wisdom can lead us to the right book(s).

What makes total sense is karmic implications to one's actions (2884), and that the Creator will heal the humans who failed, and give them another chance to get things right (228, 4011). Those who keep failing, their graduation into the next level of existence (heaven) and eventual return to the infinite Creator will be delayed (the delay = hell).

I agree with the above. I also believe that we are not given only 60 to 100 years to prove ourselves. God says this is a temporary life, yet one should ask relative to what. Nowhere in the Quran have I read anything which specifies how long earthly life should be. I bind myself to the truth that God is Merciful, and we are not going to hell after sabotaging one lifespan. The fact we are born into this world says we have work to do in order to balance the scales, and God is giving us all a chance. Each individual is striving at his or her own pace which explains why some people are more enlightened than others. God has a purpose to fulfill on planet Earth, and every one of us will continue on Earth until that purpose is achieved. I do not for one second believe that this life was made for suffering, and that we will finally reach happiness when we enter Paradise. Each of us is here to fulfill the potential of our highest self, and we will continue to return to Earth until we get there. This is because, again, God is Merciful. He is Beneficent and Forgiving.

I consider myself "Muslim" though now I prefer to identify myself as one who submits to the will of God. I doubt that anyone who learns anything about me would readily call me a Muslim. Only God and I truly know my degree of faith and understanding. I certainly measure my faith by my attitude towards life, and the way I choose to live my life to which I rarely find others to whom I can relate. I don't know if that's a sad state of affairs, or not. All I know, is that I walk in the path of truth. I know that whole-heartedly.

You've learned a bit about me, and I have no idea what you might say or think. I don't know if any other human being can decide my level of faith or system of belief for me. I know I am not easily understood and rarely followed. Maybe there is only one person on this entire planet who understands, but he is far away both literally and figuratively. Considering you are asking that question on this forum leads me to believe you've already categorized me as non-Muslim. I can save you some trouble in having to reply to this post, by letting you know I disagree.

It would be interesting to know your purpose on this website. Do you want others to return to Islam? How do you define Islam? I have to ask this considering the tragedy that Islam could possibly mean more than one system of belief. No matter which way people seem to view Islam, there is only one true Islam, of course, and God will certainly decide between those who dispute. He will.

I think the best way to discover the truth, and to get all the answers is to experience it yourself! After all it is a personal journey. Question everything, assume nothing. Find out for yourself!

You took the words right out of my mouth. Very well, very wisely said!

Salam,

Previously, I became close to a co-worker who firmly believes Jesus is God. To avoid controversy, I never challenged her view. Additionally, we probably shouldn't have been discussing religion in the workplace, so I was the one who chose to remain silent and listen to her. She related many other stories from the bible, and she tried to do good so we had plenty in common except for the one concept of Jesus as God. She is a very religious person and very active in her church. I can say one thing, however. Not that she will be punished or that she is wicked, but that she has some personal struggles which came to affect me in the workplace. She had some workplace behaviors that eventually caused tension between us. I always tried to be patient with her. Let's just say she wasn't always at her professional best, and sometimes just plain unprofessional to a high degree. This is where I think her worshipping of Jesus failed her. I'm not a Quran expert nor "quoter" but I remember reading in the Quran the verse where God says that prayers to idols do not get to Him. So if my co-worker prays to become a better person, I am sure there can be pronounced limitations considering she is directing her prayers to a human being. About a month ago, she was transferred to a different area of the company, and I was relieved. She was devastated and cried dreadfully because she liked working where I work. Nevertheless, she caused some serious problems due to her unprofessional behavior. She was never told the real reason for being transferred by her supervisor. I had nothing to do with it because I remained silent, but I later found out that upper management was aware of her behaviors. Now, she can be considered much more religiously devout than I, yet in this instance of her life she was shaken miserably. Overall, I wouldn't call her wicked, but some of her actions were wicked and hurtful. So she's made her professional life hard for herself. God hasn't done it, she did it to herself. Whereas, God would probably help us be better employees, but if we worship Him, of course.

I would like to add that my co-worker is very well aware of religions that do not acknowledge Jesus as God. Right after my conversion to Islam, I once inadvertently mentioned to her that Muslims regard Jesus as an important prophet, and I had to endure a defensive lecture from her as to why Jesus is God and not a prophet. Again, because she's so terribly passionate about her religious views, I listened to her as patiently as possible. My point is that she is aware of the message that Jesus is not God, but she refutes it through and through. She may have to answer to that. I wouldn't call her wicked even in this case. For some reason her heart and mind cannot open to the idea. She's answering to this in this life in some ways though, and whatever way she will have to answer to God she is bringing that on herself as well. As far as people that are absolutely oblivious to the truth about Jesus, I think God is merciful. Sadly, wickedness takes hold though, unless we strive to be led to the path of truth. No matter how na?ve we may be in matters of religion, not worshipping God alone has consequences. You may call it a punishment, or something else, but there's something hurtful about not turning to God whether done consciously or not. I can vouch for that in my own life. Only God knows why some people are blinded to the truth.

I think your comment about there not being one true religion is getting the most attention, as it did for me. You mentioned a true path, and I think many can attest that this true path is to worship one God only. If any religion out there contradicts this path, then it is not a true system, and I can say there aren't many out there. In this age, based on what I've learned, each man is to be his own priest and own church, and I have not yet seen any religion other than the one of "submission to God alone" that advocates this concept in the highest sense. I may call myself Catholic if I wish, but I will never practice true religion if I worship anyone or anything other than God. Some may argue with me because the path which led me to Islam was not related to the Quran alone. I found my way here through astrology. Astrology is what led me to prayer, tolerance, charity, fasting, the humanness of Jesus, the Quran, and much more. I personally believe that God reveals astrology in the Quran, and I've found information supporting this belief. The Quran doesn't tells us directly to study math and science, but through math and science we are able to understand the universe with great depth. The same goes for astrology which provides the signs of heaven and earth of which God speaks in the Quran. I wish you the very best on your journey. Ultimately, the important things to keep in mind is that there is no compulsion in religion, and you should suffer no hardship in your quest to higher truth. A connection with God through systematic worship is what will take us right to where we need to be, not a debate on hadiths or definitions of true religion.

Martha

One of the biggest problems I still have is why an atheist who dedicates his whole life to help other people would be thrown in Hell for eternity. That simply doesn't make sense to me whatsoever. But I believe that God is just and that this will not be the case. I know if instead of being born to Turkish parents, I was born in Mexico , I wouldn't have been a Muslim today. There is no question. So just because you were born in Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Pakistan does not and cannot guarantee you a free ticket to Paradise.

In life, we will be that to which we are destined. My parents arrived to the US from Mexico just a couple of months before my birth, and I was meant to be nothing more than a person who submits to the will of God, a Muslim. That was and is God's destiny. Praise be to God.

Hello and welcome,

I also recently started calling myself a Muslim, but now a Submitter because English is my language. I'm 43, so in my 40's too. What has helped me in dealing with the conflict I see among people due to religion is reminding myself that if deeds or words are hateful then they have absolutely nothing to do with religion. Anyone who judges, hates, or kills is not practicing true religion. In fact, they are following Satan, and they are using words tied to true religion in order to deceive those that are unsure or frail. Through other self-learning I've done, I learned that certain parts of Earth have special energy somehow tied to heaven so praying in a certain direction makes sense to me, though prior to becoming a Submitter in October of this (almost last) year, I would just pray wherever I was at in whatever direction I was facing. Prayer has been the healing power in my life and I'm grateful for the way it has shaped me. I grew up Catholic by the way.

Martha

Welcome to the forum.

It is a dull path I agree with you. So many lies and so much deception.

Have faith

Thank you for taking the time to read my intro and respond. I need to clarify that there is nothing dull about my faith, or anything I wrote about. I, at least, believe we are here on Earth to worship God. I may go wrong with many things, but never in my worship to God alone. The story of my life is evidence of the beneficence and mercy of God when we worship Him.

Martha

I dont understand what position of the stars has to do with belief in Creator but Welcome to islam anyway.

Peace

Thank you for your welcome. In regard to your comment, I can understand it because it's what led me to Islam and guided me on a straight path long before I found the Quran. I don't disregard either astrology or the Quran, however.

Martha

Hello martha1031, welcome to this blog welcome

May Allah bless you and guide you to the right path which is suitable for you Lots of love and hugs to you group

Thank you Samira. Ultimately, I have strong faith that prayer will take me where I need to be. This is at least one thing I believe in whole-heartedly and it brings me peace.

Martha

Hello,

I really don't know where to start. I call myself a submitter, although I am noticing several call themselves Quranists. I think the road to true Islam has had its ups and downs. Officially, I converted on a website in October of this year. In a sense though, I have practiced with all sincerity submission to God for many years. I did not know much about Islam until recently, but I have prayed for many years, payed zakat for many years, and fasted for several years. Upon my conversion, I committed myself, maybe too soon, to wearing hijab and finding people in the Islamic community that could help me on my path. Maybe a sense of doubt or insecurity led me to the website www.submission.org where I just recently learned about Dr. Rashad Khalifa and the corruption of hadiths. Currently, I am attending a Sunday class at a Masjid not far from where I live, and I'm having second thoughts. Feeling this way, makes me ask myself what have I done, and I'm wondering if I've isolated myself from mainstream society. Now, I'm hesitant to commit myself to the Sunday class assignments which include learning Arabic and learning more and more prayers in Arabic. Now I've learned that the Contact Prayers and Ablution have been corrupted with extra steps. Now I've learned that Islam is universal, and there is no need to learn Arabic or change my name (which I don't plan to do). I'm following the Salats explained on www.submission.org which has motivated me greatly to continue as a Submitter. Honestly, I think I've become emotionally and mentally tired for several weeks now trying to analyze which is the best path for me. I continue to wear the hijab, not out of compulsion, but as an expression of my beliefs, and also based on what I accept as a tradition, in this case, of Muslims worldwide, yet I torment myself wondering if I'm idol-worshipping by wearing a scarf on my head. I have become more modest in dress and plan to stay on this path. I seriously wonder what I'm doing religious-wise way too often, but Alhamdulillah, by the end of the day I surrender and find peace in the belief that God will take me to the right place.

I've been reading a lot on Dr. Rashad Khalifa, and I think what has fascinated me the most is the mathematical miracle which he discovered and the number 19 of which he speaks. I learned about a true numerology which describes the number 19 as the Prince of Heaven. Not all numbers are graced with such a description and I've always understood the number 19 to be a very fortunate number. In all honesty, I believe in astrology, fruitarianism, and other things which traditional Muslims would probably call haram. I could never call haram the very things which led me to prayer, charitability, fasting, and a firm belief that Jesus is not God nor did he come to save us from sin. I call myself a Submitter because I found in Islam the very pillars which I adopted through an initial interest in astrology. In much of the traditional concepts I'm learning is Islam, I tend to perceive a fatalistic interpretation of the purpose of this life, and I negate that interpretation entirely. Well, this is me, often unsure of where I'm headed at least the last several weeks.