Please describe each and every reason why old Muslims should help new Muslims? Is it not topsy-turvy whereby should it not be the other way around?
Answer
Asalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question,which is very interesting and raises an important matter.
It is very important,of course, that those who are new to Islam should be able to learn more. They will do this, of course, by their own reading, but what better way to learn than by hearing the stories and benefiting from the experience of those who have been Muslim for some time.
You are quite right, though, that all Muslims will benefit from a new pair of eyes. So we all learn more, in sha' Allah, when Allah calls someone new to Islam.
Name
Dorothy
- Jamaica
Profession
Bunion Removals
Question
When I notified my mum about converting to Islam, she said over her dead and bloody body. She also reminded me about the Islamic terrorists who murdered the Russian schoolchildren in Baslam and blow themselves up in Israeli pizza parlours. How can I rebut these terrible lies?
Answer
Asalamu alaikum.
Thank you for your question, which goes right to the heart of many of the misconceptions about Islam which exist in our world today.
Let us be clear right from the start. Sometimes,some people do not want to hear our answers. Before we finish answering one question, they have started asking another, not listening to what we have to say. At times,we have to realise that we can't convince everyone!
However, Islam need not be afraid of the searching questions of any person or any group. If we do not know how to answer a question, it only shows our lack of knowledge, not that Islam does not have the answer.
I always believe that our example and our behavior is the best explanation we can often give. I am not a terrorist. I have never met one, nor have I met anyone else who has met one. Islam is a very gentle religion and it is very sweet. We should not be afraid to say this quite proudly. Muslims need never to be on the defensive. Ours is the natural religion of mankind.
I hope that this begins to answer your question.
Name
Phineas
- Ireland
Profession
Question
Why do Muslims feel an overwhelming urge to convert non-believers and to kill heretics? In your opinion, is Islam a religion or merely a murderous cult?
Answer
Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question and for visiting IslamOnline.net, which presents a very balanced and moderate view of Islam.
I have no desire to kill anyone, nor to convert anyone who doesnot wish to become Muslim. Islam, for me, is the sweetest and the most gentle religion which the Almighty has given to mankind. I hope that one day you might have sufficient knowledge and experience of Muslims be able to see that this is the case.
Name
Aisha
- United States
Profession
Educational consultant
Question
As Salaamu Alaikum.
There are so many questions raised by new Muslims and so many sources and models of "correct" and "incorrect" information. Just one example is how often to raise the hands at the Takbir. Do you recommend using the collected hadiths in Fiqh us-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq? To many questions there is not one clear obvious answer, but at least one can make a more informed decision.
JazakAllahu khayran for your important work.
Answer
Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Your question is important, because you are quite right that there are many different voices telling us what to do and what to believe.
I firmly believe, first of all, that IslamOnline.net is a very good reference point for people to get a correct image of Islam. If people are new to Islam and are looking for authentic teaching, it is a good way to receive the teaching and the experience of well respected scholars. Amidst a sea of voices, it a way of hearing one clear voice.
Reading the Qur'an and reading about the life and example of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) is another sure way of understanding the real Islam. Being faithful to prayer, and asking Almighty Allah in our prayers to guide us correctly along the right path, is another way new Muslims can be helped.
Name
Noor
- Jordan
Profession
Question
Salam Alaykum.
I'm a new Muslim and I'm facing problems with my parents. If I told my parents that I want to becme a Muslim, they won't allow me. I have to mention that I live in an Arabic country and I can't go live by myself.
Please help.
Answer
Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question. Welcome to Islam! I ask that Almighty Allah will give you great happiness and peace and will lead you always along the right path.
Since we love our parents and they have made great sacrifices for us, we should never want to hurt them or cause them distress. The love we have for our parents makes us attentive to what they have to say.Their actions are often prompted by the love they have for us.
At the moment, your parents don't understand what Islam is really like,or they wouldnot prevent you from being Muslim. No parents would want to harm their children.
Almighty Allah has called you to be Muslim so you must respond to His Call. Try to be faithful to the prayers and to find out more and more about Islam.
Be very gentle on your parents. Help them to understand about Islam in very simple ways, without hurting them or causing animosity. One day, when Allah wills the time to be right, you can tell them of your decision to be Muslim. Until then, be as good a Muslim as you can. Who knows, your example might one day lead them to Islam.
Name
Angelica
- United States
Profession
Question
I want to become Muslim but my parents are strict Evangelicals. they'd probably kill me if I converted. What can I do? Is it possible to be a Muslim in secret? Should I confront them or not convert? I'm 19 and in college and still dependent on my family.
Answer
Asalamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question. You might just like to read the previous answer first, because in a way it is quite similar.
In our lives we all have to make decisions, and we need to take responsibility for the decisions we make. You have to make your own choices. Confrontation is not always the best way, although at other times it is the only way to resolve a situation. If Allah is calling you to be Muslim, He will provide the ways for you. You can begin by praying on your own. You might visit a mosque on your own and talk with other Muslims. Maybe at College there is a Muslim society,where you can talk about your situation. You can also read avidly about this religion which is so appealing to you.
If your parents love you, they won't kill you, no matter how much they disagree with what you do or what you believe! Give them time. You owe them this. And pray that Almighty Allah will open the way for you to talk to them about this.
Remember that Almighty Allah is in control of all things. This is why we can never despair as Muslims. I pray that you will come to Islam soon, in sha' Allah. Be prepared to take a risk.
Name
Fatima
- Thailand
Profession
Question
Salaams,
I just converted to Islam, my family is Buddhist. I have hard time to live in Thailand because everyone eats pork and in my home, my parents bow to statues. Can I pray in room with statues? Should I leave my country because most of them are non-Muslims, or how can I practice Islam well in a Buddhist country?
Answer
Asalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question. Welcome to Islam. I ask that Almighty Allah will give you great joy and peace.
Allah will provide the way, if He so wills.
Your prayers are between you and Almighty Allah. Nothing can come in the way of that. We all live in different societies. Some of them are Muslim and some of them are not. As long as you are not doing things that are forbidden, you can practice your Islam in a quiet way in any society. The first Muslims in Mecca were surrounded with idol worshippers and yet their faith was able to grow.
In sha' Allah, by being faithful to the five daily prayers and by trying to learn verses from the Qur'an and to read about the life and example of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) your own faith will grow.
There is not always a need for us to leave a place for Islam to flourish. Beg Almighty Allah to help you.
Name
Sara
- Germany
Profession
Question
I'm a German. I converted to Islam few months ago, I was extremely happy with my decision and I think that I chose the right thing in my life. However, I'm still hanging around with my friends, most of them are Christians. Nowadays, I'm dragged into their lives in a way or another. Sometimes I find myself smoking. In one occasion I drank alcohol. Please help me, I want to be a good riotous Muslim.
Answer
Assalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question. Welcome to islam. I ask that Almighty Allah will give you great happiness and will help you to be faithful to the decision you made in responding to His Call.
We do not always need to reject all of our past in making the decision to become Muslim. Our past is where we came from and it is a part of us and makes us who we are.
In addition to our past, though, we need to keep growing. We all need help in our life of faith, just like a plant needs water for it to grow. it is important to have good Muslim friends, also, who will be a good example to you and who will support you when you feel weak.
The decision to be Muslim is never to be taken lightly. If we do things which are forbidden, we need to sincerely repent and to ask the forgiveness of Almighty Allah. No-one can expect to be a good Muslim overnight, but we should try to behave as though we are. Doing good things helps us to be good!
You need to make clear to your non-Muslim friends that you have made certain choices and that now you are Muslim, there are certain things you cannot do. If they are really your friends they will respect you. If they try to drag you down or to prevent you from being Muslim, you need to ask how good friends they really are.
Your own behavior will have a profound influence on your friends, who must be curious about why you became Muslim. When you are with them and it is time for prayers, why not tell them to excuse you for five minutes because you have to pray. If they are doing things which are against our religion you will have to excuse yourself and walk away.
Your example might be what they need to question their own ways of living. May Allah lead us all to the truth. Surely He is the best guide.
Name
Aishah
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Hello,
I am a new Muslim from the UK. I have read many beautiful things in the Qur'an and other places and so I converted because of my love for Allah. But then at the masjid I see all of the Muslims fighting and arguing and pushing women out of the mosques.
Why are women not equal in modern Muslim society when in true Islam they are?
Why are there so many sects in Islam and why can't Muslims agree on anything?
why do they have so many requirements for new Muslims who don't know anything about Islam yet?
I need to take it step by step, but they want to push me, like wearing hijab so quickly and jilbab (a dress that covers the woman's body except for the face and the palms) and knowing so much Arabic. Can't I learn at my own pace?
Answer
Asalamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for you question, which includes many points. Welcome to Islam. May Almighty Allah make the way smooth for you to become a good Muslim, faithful to Him at all times.
The essence of the answer to your points is very simple. Islam is not to be judged by the wrong way some Muslims behave. Almighty Allah "perfected" all religion by revealing Islam to the world. So much misunderstanding in the world today exists because of the wrong way many Muslims behave.
Those who are new to Islam need to be patient. Islam is perfect - but Muslims are not! Give yourself time to fully grow into all the requirements of your new religion, thanking Almighty Allah for calling you. Give yourself time to understand how others are behaving.
One of the great things which new Muslims bring to Islam is a fresh approach to familiar things and a new way ofseeing what we might take for granted. I am continually surprised that when I write about Islam as being very beautiful, very gentle and very sweet, many Muslims have never heard this way of talking before.
May Allah make the way clear for you to become a better Muslim each day, giving good example to those around you. May He help you to be faithful to the prayers and to the courageous decisiondecision you made in becoming Muslim.
Name
Anon
- United States
Profession
Question
salaam alaikum,
I am a Jewish convert to Islam, like Safiyya, the Prophet's wife. I can't tell my parents I converted, because they are Zionists and hate Arabs and Muslims and I can't tell Muslims about my background because maybe they would be suspicious about my background and not like me. They might judge me without knowing what my heart says. I feel like I have the same problems as Lady Safiyyah. Please tell me how to deal with this problem, I can't tell my parents, and should I keep my background secret to Muslims who might not like me if I told them?
Answer
Asalamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question. Welcome to Islam. What a great grace for you that you feel that your situation is similar to that of Lady Safiyya. Remember, that she is now known as "Mother of the believers!"
Muslims should have no problem with your background. Islam certainly does not. Human beings, though, are precisely that. They are not angels. By praying with your sisters in the mosque you will show them you are Muslim. Time will show them how seriously you take your religion. So, give them time. The more friends you make in the mosque, the more free you will feel to tell them about your background,if you continue to feel that it is important to do so.
Pray for your parents. Ask Almighty Allah to take hatred out of their hearts and to provide a way foryou to talk to themone day about Islam. Almighty Allah is in full control of all people and all events. His will will prevail. I hope that your prayers and that your reading about Islam will continue to help you.
Name
Bena
- Syria
Profession
Question
How to deal with my parents who always bring the dogs to the room while I'm praying?
Thank you.
Answer
Asalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
You can ask them to stop bringing the dogs into the room, because it is preventing you from praying.
You can lock the door, if there is a lock, to stop them doing so.
Above all, you need eventually to sit down with them and explain why this is a problem for you. Maybe they don't fully understand why it is a problem. Maybe they don't fully realise the distress it is causing you. Dialogue is always best.
Name
Pedro
- United States
Profession
Question
My Engish is not so good. I am a new Muslim. I go so many times to the mosque and no one talks to me. All "brothers" keep away because maybe I do not speak Arabic. How come muslims act like this to me? We are brothers or no?
Answer
Asalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Welcome to Islam. May Almighty Allah give you great peace in your life and lead you one day to Paradise. Your English is quite good enough for us all to understand.
I know exactly your experience. When I became Muslim in London I went one evening to pray in a mosque near to my home. Without mentioning any ethnic group, this particular mosque was frequented by one group of people from a certain country. When I entered the mosque I was expecting to be greeted and to be made welcome. Instead, the people stared at me as though I had just fallen out of the sky. No one greeted me with "asalamu `alaikum". When the prayers finished, I couln't wait to get out!
Since that time, I have been made to feel so welcome and have come to love the whole Muslim nation. "Muslim" does not mean Arab or American or Chinese. Only 18 per cent of the world's Muslims are Arab.
You are quite right, we are brothers. This is what makes Islam so real for us. Give your new brothers time. I hope that Allah will provide the means for you to make many Muslim friends. Pray for them and ask Almighty Allah to increase in you the understanding of what it is to be apart of the Muslim nation.
I pray that all Muslims will realise the great responsibility we all have to welcome those who are new to Islam. May Allah help us all to be good Muslims. Ameen.
Name
Soraya
- Canada
Profession
Student
Question
salaam alaykum,
I am a fairly new revert, I reverted two years ago, al-hamdu llilah. Now my problem is that I see so many opinions in Islam, I am tempted to follow the one that my ego likes, but I am not sure if it is right. For example, I like when I read what Amina Wadud and Khaled Abou El-Fadl say about women in Islam, it is very liberal, but maybe they are interpreting Islam in an incorrect way. I can't stand to read Saudi interpretations of Islam of women. How do I know who is right and whose interpretation to follow? Or are they all right?
Answer
Asalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Thank you for your question.
I faced a similar problem when I embraced Islam. I was so keen to know everything about my new religion, but didn't know whose opinion to seek. I must admit that I was told a lot of nonsense by different people. In one mosque, for example, I was told that if I listened to music I would go to hell! In another, I was told that if I did not grow a beard, Allah would not accept my prayers!
I came to realise, with time, that it is not a matter of choosing which kind of Islam suits me best, but rather finding out what mainstream Islam is like. IslamOnline.net gives a very balanced view, because it draws on the experience and the opinions of so many well respected scholars. I would always recommend people to go there first for an answer.
May Allah guide us all to the right path. Surely He is the best guide.
