And also, of course, could anyone point me towards any aya in the reading which could shed light on this topic? Peace x

Peace,

I would be happy to share my background though I apologise if I waffle, I tend to go off on one sometimes )

I was born in Pakistan and moved to UK when my mother re-married, my parents (sunni and my step-father shia) although describing themselves as Musims have never been strictly 'islamic', but more traditional in their approach towards their conduct and as such I never grew up with the strict sunni/shia leanings that other people around me have had. I guess you could say I was an enquiring mind from a young age, and being a young girl growing up in a western country something about my religion always sat uneasy with me - namely the role that women play within traditional islam, but also how that to be Allah's unquestioning servant was the best way to be - do not question, but accept your role in this world, free thought and finding one's one way seemingly positioned as the road leading to hell!

I think mostly I ignored this uneasy feeling and found myself leaning towards a more secular lifestyle, going out with friends, dressing up, thinking about boy's and relationships my main mode's of behaviour!! But something always tugged, and as I challenged mine and my parent's boundaries ( though I was not extremely rebellious) the truth about our purpose on earth, something I instinctively knew led back to God, led me to extend my arms out to more esoteric aspects of my religion - sufiism but also flirting with and tentatively extending out to other religions, buddhism and taoism.

Although this increased my understanding of the world around me I found this ultimately unhelpful because instead of helping me to bridge the gap between my daily lived existence in a modern world, and all it's trappings (which really did make me feel trapped!!) it only invoked, what only can be described, as a mini nervous breakdown!!This was in my second year of university and at the time I remember feeling like this whole world was unreal, feeling distanced from my actions and saying things in exasperation like I want to get to the end to see my Maker! As we all know, who but only the hypocrites and mis-guided wish to hurry on the Day of Judgement? The lofty peaks that sufi's try to reach through their lifting of the veil practices, and the buddhist treatises on this world being 'maya', I think fundamentally messed with my head at a tentative time in my life!

Fast forward two years, and from these years I had managed to preserve only the belief that God was inside me, and in all of us, and that His Presence was to be felt all around. I prayed occasionally, but thinking about God and feeling His guidance, at the best and worst of times, never stopped. I think this unconscious connection (salat) to God 'paid off' - initially arriving here through the 19 and submitters websites, I was astounded and humbled to find that my uneasiness with traditional islam was not misguided and certainly not felt alone. That the truth was out there! But funny how coming to an obscure (at the time, and maybe still is) website led to the simple truth that all one has to do is read The Book with open and new eyes and heart and its beauty is revealed.

As to my 'lurking' for two years? Although I felt this to be the truth, it took a long time to align my outer to my inner - namely trusting my inner reality as opposed to the external world I found myself in which was almost in contradiction to what I found to be true. I have worked on the inner for the last two years, turning to these pages and verifying in the Quran for myself. I keep 'The Message' in my bag always, those 20 minutes into and from work reading from God's truth are my anchor. I will open a page and often be moved to tears in a tube full of strangers (im such a woman ) as to how much the words speak to my heart. It is truly a wonderful gift to humanity from God and I pray for the souls who are led astray by it.

I am no longer afraid of speaking about what I know to be true, no longer standing up for and living out my principles, and certainly no longer doubting - I bought a copy of the brainbow version of Quran for my family, a big step, because my family has always considered me to be a black sheep in my views (I blame my 'punk years' for that ) . My mother and father were truly amazed and no doubt scared as to the true simplicity within it, a simplicity marred and twisted by past scholars and present 'islamists'. My father even remarked that these new translations must be the 'work of the americans' as if to mislead 'us muslims'!!But I trust that God will guide to the truth )

My only wish now, in finally speaking on this forum, and in my daily actions, is to strive with the believers, to find peace in this world and in the next. As my outer starts to align itself to my inner, I am looking to use my life to serve The One according to the principles outlined in the book and encoded in our selves. How I do that is another story ) for I believe we each also have a unique contribution to make in this world.

May God guide us all. Peace!

Lali

Peace,

Thank you for all the kind replies, I have to say Kurt I'm really excited to finally start participating! It took me this long to say hello because I think I was in a period of gestation, a period of absorbing all the wonderful truths I have come to realise through reading the posts and articles on this lovely site and seeing them manifest in my own life. I truly am so thankful to God for restoring my faith - a faith that feels natural and un-forced, a faith I tried very hard to engender whilst I flirted with the idea that the sunni path I was born into was the right path.

I do have many questions as I journey on this path and am daily trying to incorporate many of the elements of the straight path, but it is only in hindsight looking back over these last few years that I can truly see how far I have come in my development and can see that there is still a lot of work to be done ;D

Btw to clarify Alen, I am a sister not a brother and am happy to be one to all on this forum )

Aalmakto - a delayed welcome from me to you!

I look forward to continue learning with you all!

Lali

Peace all,

Just wondering if anyone knows of a good urdu translation of the reading in book form? Bought my mother the reformist one and she loved it but would prefer to read and digest it properly in her native tongue?

She also asked me to find out what people's opinions of Javed Ahmed Ghamdi are? I believe, from what she told me, that he has done an urdu translation in print, but are his views along the quranist/reformist lines?

Would be great if anyone has any info on the above requests or could point me in the right direction.

Peace

lali

Peace all,

I have been lurking on and off on the forum for a few years now and never felt the need to participate. Ive read many a thread and article on these pages and it has all helped me to reach an understanding about the world around us.

So far, I have not read anything about the day to day lives of you guys that post on here - basically how you contribute to the world with your lives. I feel it is really important to give to other's (charity) with your time and money and it is something I try to do daily, even just remembering to smile at people passing in the street I feel is a good deed in this closed off modern world we live in! I am sure that many on this forum adhere to the same outlook. However, realising that aligning our inner beliefs to our outer actions is of such paramount importance, I have begun to question one area of my life alot recently. And that is of work - how we earn our money, our 'career', something we actually spend a great deal of our day on!

Let me clarify something about myself - ever since I was a young age my two 'passions' have been film and writing. Even clearer - I want to direct films and am on my way to making one, and maybe one day I hope to write the great novel. But in my heart I know that the more humanitarian causes which tug at my soul - such as building an orphanage, working with grass-roots NGO's, are clearly closer to the aim of striving towards God. God willing I will one day achieve these but I guess the question Im asking is in the meantime, my dreams of making films or writing a novel, are they futile? Can art have a place in the ideal republic, like Plato said ( I think it was Plato ;D) ? Can my impulse to be 'creative' and make my living through these occupations really help me in the only race that matters - the race towards the God? I wonder.

I count myself lucky in the fact that I have never wanted to make pure blockbuster movies, with only the aim of entertaining people. In some way I hope to say something of importance, highlight a society's weaknesses, maybe offer some hope, but even then? Is this really what God meant in striving? Is it a weakened form of striving, is this really on par with someone who is on the ground fighting oppression whereever it may rear it's head? I wonder.

I am at a point in my life where I have been awakened. There is a lot of work to be done I feel in the world around us. Do anyone here feel the same way? Our lives, with their daily trivialities, have become almost comical. I see people around me so happy that they got that raise, or they bought a new car, or have got a new exhibition and are on their way to being a success. I really hope that I never get to the stage where a new car will be a momentous occasion in my life )

But what is to be done? I am quite a way down the path of feeling like my artistic impulses are something valuable - that if played right I could contribute in my own way. But is this wishful thinking? Is my ego so big that I am deluding myself that art can have a role to play in the awakening of people? Is art and the creative impulse in general something innate in us and not some man made innovation to distract ourselves from the path?

Just my two cents. I'd like to know if other people here feel that tug - like to go do something 'really' important and not instead wasting our lives in the merry go round of the world. How do you guys reconciliate your day to day lives with the great aims that the reading teaches us. I'd love to hear, maybe it would help us on our paths towards God.

Peace

Lali

Peace one and all,

Well, it's finally time to start participating. I've been 'lurking' on free-minds for the best part of two years now (a long time I know!) and finally I've decided to speak up and say hello and a thank you too to all the people who have helped me discover the truth in my own heart - the beauty and reality of God, the beauty in the world and the positive purpose for our existence on earth.

I've come to a point in my life where the urge to follow the straight path is too strong to ignore, and I am continually amazed by how much God reveals to me about the nature of our existence. You guys have really helped me on my way and I say a big thank you to you for following God's guidance and in turn giving me the strength to act and to not be scared to own my life in this way. God has truly blessed us.

May we all have the courage and patience to strive towards The One in our lives and be thankful for all the blessings that God has bestowed on us.

Peace and hello, I look forward to connecting with you all God willing.

Lali x