I want to be strong...

[Mason]

Earlier today i was reading on another forum about a girl who wanted to take up a religion, but she had a few beliefs that clashed with it, ones that would have stopped her from practising that faith. It seemed she didn't know if she could or wanted to give them up... In someone's reply they said "If you do seek God, you may be put in the position of having to dispense with some long cherished beliefs. That is how it is with God". This made me think about me and Islam, as i am in quite a similar position,... not knowing if i can detach myself from my original beliefs. I want to, because most of them don't make any sense and they leave me feeling very empty and worthless. I want to be strong and leave these wrong beliefs behind, but i don't know how, and i most certainly don't want to be living in denial.

There are some things i have found out about Islam that i wish i hadn't, because it makes me abit sad to think that its not as perfect as i had hoped. Though, i still want to learn more about it, and i really think i want to be a muslim. I hope i can be forgiven by Allah for being so very doubting and indecisive. Does anyone have any surjestion on how i should over come and learn to disbelieve my "basic beliefs"? I really don't want them anymore, i never did. I want to feel whole and content about what i believe, can anyone help me...?

[Friend]

Salaam

It is very important step in your life my friend ,so take your time to think and ask about the truth . submission for Allah mean put your trust on him .
Ask Allah to guide you to the right way , may Allah help you .
I know that it is very difficult for any person whom live in certain conditions and surrounding by west thoughts and spent all his life in west culture environment to understand the Islamic way of life . I think you are strong person because you take your decision to search and increase your knowledge .
I want to ask you few questions and according to your answers may be we can help you .

When you are start think about Islam ?
What are the most attractive things that made you search about the reality behind Islam ?
What are the things you found it unsuitable for you or made you sad to know about Islam ?

and i really think i want to be a muslim. I hope i can be forgiven by Allah for being so very doubting and indecisive

If you are really feel that, I'm sure that Allah will help you to be strong .and he will guide you to the truth .
see this link :
http://www.islamonline.net/askaboutislam/browse.asp

[Mason]

Thanks for your reply Friend, ^_^
I will try to answer your questions as well as i can.

When you are start think about Islam?

Ok, here i think you mean: When did you start thinking you wanted to learn about Islam. < or something along those lines.
I have been interested in that part of the world, since i heard some islamic style music when i was about 15 years old, (it was Tarkan's "Kiss Kiss"). So i decided to investigate. At first it was the geography of the region i learned, as in country positions, etc. Later i became very interested in islamic architecture and this lead me on to mosques and finally Islam.

What are the most attractive things that made you search about the reality behind Islam?

Um,... i think its the idea of heaven, and that when i find love, it can be forever, not just for 60 years. (i am right in thinking this i hope, men and women do go to the same heaven don't they?) < hope thats what you meant by the question.

What are the things you found it unsuitable for you or made you sad to know about Islam?

There were two but i can't remember one, and i don't really want to speak about the other right now.
^_^

[farhan]

Salam,

well I guess I can understand . Difficult decisions take time . Important decisions take time too . So ... try to think whats important for U...and whats the most important...and what gives U the thing(s) U want .

There are some things i have found out about Islam that i wish i hadn't, because it makes me abit sad to think that its not as perfect as i had hoped

Well perfection is a very subjective thing , dont U think so ?? Having said that , every religion is based on three things

1 . Beliefs

2 . Prayers

3 . Practices

From beliefs part , all I know is that U believe in many gods . I cant feel how believing in many gods would feel like . But I think in religions with many gods , all gods have been created by one supreme God . The one who created all , & himself is uncreated . What do U say ??

From Prayers part , we havent discussed anything yet .

From Practices part , well...there R somethings that R difficult to follow . Thats what differentiates an average man from people whom God calls " Friends of Allah " .

In Islam practices can be divided into Obligatory , recommended , your choice , better not be done , & forbidden .

It is better to follow 99% & not follow 1% , rather than not following at all , what do U say ??

(i am right in thinking this i hope, men and women do go to the same heaven don't they?)

Of course , they go to te same heaven .

I hope i can be forgiven by Allah for being so very doubting and indecisive.

Well he is your creater , he knows U even better that U know yourself . He knows your streangths & weaknesses . He can see U R in the middle of a big decision here . U only have to ask him wholeheartedly for forgiveness , he will forgive U .

In the end , ask your creater ( without giving him any name , attributes , qualities if U dont want to ) to show U the right path . He created U with love . He wont leave U .

Hope that helps

[Mason]

Some helped Farhan, and some left me confused.
Ok, firstly, thanks for answering my question,... thats good to know.

The first post in this thread, i tried my best to say i don't want to believe in many gods and in another post some where in my 'Questions ?' thread i said why i do, it went something like this:
I would like to be as fair as possible, so that if and when i do choose to take up a religion, i have not criticised it as being false. I believe its not my place to say some religions are wrong, i just want to be nasty as infrequently as possible.
I would like to add i do NOT worship any of these gods, actually i don't worship any yet. Islam will be my first and only religion i hope.

Also i said i didn't want to waste another second on that subject, i really would like to move on with my life. ^_^ (you know what face i'm pulling, lol)

Well perfection is a very subjective thing, don't U think so?

Yes, perfection is very difficult to achieve, almost impossible, thats why i said

its not as perfect as i had hoped

meaning i didn't think it was going to be 100% perfect.

It is better to follow 99% & not follow 1%, rather than not following at all, what do U say?

What can i say but "yea, sure, your total right".

[smkolins]

Originally Posted by Friend

Salaam

I know that it is very difficult for any person whom live in certain conditions and surrounding by west thoughts and spent all his life in west culture environment to understand the Islamic way of life .... ]

I would hope more care be used in such words. To limit the effect of the Spirit of God to one place or another is to chain the unchainable. I think one should strive to get passed materialism and a patriotism that is blind and consumption based on fads among many modern ills wherever one is. In each era, some have had prominance, and in every age there have been ills. But the ills always carried on, while whoever had prominance changed from here to there. What best characterizes this problem is not place, or culture, but lack of spiritual sight, and understanding. The ways of men have never been the ways of God, praised be He. Ah, that His guidance might be listened to.

[Mason]

Smkolins, i can't say i valued your opinion....
Reading your post left me in a state of confusion and coursed me to forget what i was going to ask Friend.

|¬_¬| Thank you for your input.

[Bandit]

Mason, I think everyone feels that way at some point or another no matter what religion. I found my strength comes from Allah & not of my own.

Do search His will, like Friend said. He does not fail us when we seek Him, He will guide us into all truth.

For me, I have found there to be truth & error in all organized religion because if we had it all or one person had it all, then we would be God.
We are only humans though.

[Friend]

Originally Posted by smkolins

I would hope more care be used in such words. To limit the effect of the Spirit of God to one place or another is to chain the unchainable. I think one should strive to get passed materialism and a patriotism that is blind and consumption based on fads among many modern ills wherever one is. In each era, some have had prominance, and in every age there have been ills. But the ills always carried on, while whoever had prominance changed from here to there. What best characterizes this problem is not place, or culture, but lack of spiritual sight, and understanding. The ways of men have never been the ways of God, praised be He. Ah, that His guidance might be listened to.

Hi
I'm sorry if I didn't explain my idea here well , what I mean here that we all suffer if we change some thing in our life despite of which is better , like when we change our home location .( I mean the influence of change on our life ).

[Mason]

At the beginning of this thread i said:

Does anyone have any surjestion on how i should over come and learn to disbelieve my "basic beliefs"?

I don't feel any the wiser about this, but i do know i'm certain that, its what i want to do.

Have any of you studied psychology by any chance?... as i don't just want to cover them up, I want to let go. If not, does any one have any surjestions on how i could try?

Thanks ^_^

[Friend]

Salaam
I don't know what you mean by your question , but according to my understanding if we doubt about any things and we want to take decision about them , we can write every good things about them ,then we should write every things we saw it is worthless or unbelievable about them .
and the results of them in our life , and the most important thing which can help us to take decision in our life the inner peace inside ourrself with our decisions( or our feeling with our decision ).

[smkolins]

Originally Posted by Mason

At the beginning of this thread i said:[color=#808000]I don't feel any the wiser about this, but i do know i'm certain that, its what i want to do.

Have any of you studied psychology by any chance?... as i don't just want to cover them up, I want to let go. If not, does any one have any surjestions on how i could try?

I have. It is an infant science with several paradigms explaining what is or can be changed about us. Some point to understanding oneself but think that is arrived at through introspection. Others think to change one must simply do it and stop thinking about it. More common these days is learning how to think positively about what needs to be, and taking opportunities or taking matters into one's own hand - to move in that direction. There are also nonprofessional forms of psychology, the archtype of which is a 12 step program, which outline a series of steps, in cooperation with a helper, but what the goal is and the details are left up to you.

Religiously speaking, any of these could be supported I think. One must be alittle impatient with oneself, and one must be patient with oneself. It's a stormy process. One must seek with vigor, but one will other times be very tired and apathetic. One will feel totally guided sometimes, and other times totally lost.

But when we move, when we act, God has something to work with. When we don't act, when we are oblivious, then there is nothing much God can do but send us troubles to bounce us out of our complacency. It can help to get views from other walks of life, but one aught not assume just because another says it, that it is true.

[smkolins]

Originally Posted by Friend

Hi
I'm sorry if I didn't explain my idea here well , what I mean here that we all suffer if we change some thing in our life despite of which is better , like when we change our home location .( I mean the influence of change on our life ).

There is some truth to that - one can feel that the way things are in our own particular place is the way it is everywhere. Moving one's home will quickly change that view in some ways.

But there is no where we can go to be rid of ourselves, our own choices, and those of others. Learning how to make better choices, and being able to deal with those of others, is a sustaining way. God can make it possible - the lives of His Prophets show the way. None had lives more complicated and oppressed. None succeeded more, whether they lived in the East or the West - are they not a Tree of neither the east or the west?

[Mason]

Thanks for you reply, Smkolins

I would like to point out (to non-native english speakers) that when smkolins wrote:

It is an infant science

He/she didn't mean psychology is a study of infants, he/she meant it's new or recent. I just don't want any of you to think i didn't make sure i was using the right word, is all. ^_^

P.s. Smkolins, wouldn't it be nice if you had a good looking avatar, or maybe none at all...?

[Mason]

We can write every good things about them, then we should write every things we saw it is worthless or unbelievable about them.

Thanks for the surjestion Friend, i will give it ago ^_^