1. Go and look for some sahih, strong hadith, which are clearly silly, and show him. Perhaps he will agree.
2. You cannot and should not try to convince others. You may share your stance and give your reasons, but don't do it with the agenda to convince him. Don't try to change someone else. Just be a role model.

Words of Wisdom, right there!

I actually lost a friend over this and I was not trying to convince him, he was trying to convince me. I asked him about a hadith that applied to his personal situation and he replied that it was not known if that hadith was authentic. So I asked how HE PERSONALLY decided which hadith he considered authentic and he actually said he wasn't too well versed on hadith. So... these things that he admittedly does not know much about, he is insisting I govern my life by. I asked that and have not talked to him since. He pretty much told me I was naive and hung up angry. Eh, wtvr, ya know.

I've kinda learned it is best to submit to Allah(swt) the way you truly believe you should and let others do the same.

I think it is more important to look at the individual than the "sect". I have a Sunni friend, who was born and raised in K.S.A., and is more "liberal minded" than I am. He always chuckles at the fact that I am more of a hardliner than he is.

Be careful with labels. I actually found a definition of "Quranist" that said "rejects hadith". I thought this was a harsh generalization. I do not reject hadith, I am just quite skeptical of it. Then again, I really do not consider myself a Quranist any more than I do a Sunni. I am simply a Muslim. My point is - meet who you find interesting and see how compatible you are. Ya never know, you could meet a Quranist that is NOT in sync with your outlook on Islam OR you could find a Sunni/Shi'a/wtvr who feels EXACTLY the same way you do about it.

Assalamu Alaikum, brother!

I'm new here, but would like to chime in if it isn't considered intrusive.

Allah (swt) guides whom He wills. It sounds like He has already given you the clarity you need on this matter. It sounds like the situation is making you uncomfortable. I would go ahead and consider that guidance from my Creator.

Now, me personally - I celebrate Christmas. Then again, to ME, it has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus (pbuh). It is about presents, eating too much, not going to work, and acting like my relatives don't annoy me LOL.

I do not consider Christmas a Christian holiday, I consider it an AMERICAN holiday and I am an American so..... I celebrate it. However, if it made me feel the way it seems to be making YOU feel, I would not.

As far as I remember (please correct me, if I am wrong) - There was no mention (in the Quran) version of Allah (swt) issueing the threat of death, for violating the rule. Was there still the promise made by shaytan of "Knowledge"?

Kind of off topic, but that always particularly bothered me in the Biblical verison God said they would DIE, if they ate it. Satan said they would be as smart as God. They ate it. They didn't die, they got smarter (more aware).

I always wondered two things
(1) if it was an edible, was it "mind expanding/altering"? Similar to the "religious" experiences had by shamans using peyote, mushrooms, datura, iboga, or any of the other "sacred" plants?
(2) if the "ancient alien" believers (no, I'm not one) are correct, does it mean one being attempted to design us as completely mindless drones/slaves and another being totally screwed up the operation by slipping in the ability to reason and make our own determinations on morality?

I believe there is a factory that made my car. I know my car will not last forever. I still want to read the owner's manual, though. Make sure I don't put the wrong gas/oil in it, service it when I should, etc.

As a Muslim, I believe we were ALL born knowing our Lord and having a natural tendency to submit to Him. We weren't born reading -)

I say this to my family members - if the being who created you left instructions, wouldn't you want to read them?

NOTE - the preceding is nothing but one munkeez perspective. I'm not a scholar. I don't even have a nice beard or funny hat.

Assalamu Alaikum!

I reverted over a year ago, but my contact with Islam goes back to '08. I made my public shahada as a Sunni, but constantly found myself debating small details, with brothers. I would always ask "where, in the Quran, does it say that". I would get the reply that it was NOT in the Quran but was a hadith. This always troubled me and I'm actually relieved to finally find out I'm not the only Muslim in the world who accepts the Quran as the word of Allah (swt) while remaining skeptical of hadith and other "Islamic" tradition/ritual.

Please do not misunderstand - I do not "reject" hadith and I do think Muhammed (saw) was probably a great Muslim who should be used as an example. I just disagree with my Sunni brothers on two points (1) you need the hadith to understand the Quran. Why? Is it because I'm not good at understanding things or because God isn't good at explaining them? (2) LAW (sharia) is the combination of the Quran and the Sunnah. I have to disagree, LAW is from Allah (swt) alone. He is my creator and who I will have to answer to.

Anyway, glad to be here, plan on reading a lot.