A fulfilling Muslim life.

[femmebeliever]

Salaammualaikum,

how many of you know for sure Allah swt is there. And I don't want any of the you must believe, sister... he is there.. etc, and proceed with theoretical methods of proof. I don't need that.

And you also know Islam is the religion.

But you live wondering if there is something wrong with your understanding of Islam and your practice of it?

How do you in a practical sense uphold your moral independence and integrity when there is just so many things you just do not know about Islam, the world at least practically and experientially not theoretically? And what do you do to lead a more inspired or fulfilling life as a Muslim?

Jzk

[blackarmour]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Walaikumassalam

Gaining knowledge and putting it into practice is the key to success.

It affirms your belief & strengthens your faith. When you practice properly, you start seeing the results.

Nobody is perfect and we all fall short, but picking up from there and trying again over and over is how we strive for perfection.

It's a beautiful journey, just a little more difficult than you being on your way to finding your box of lindt. :o

Personally, I've never doubted the existence of God. The first time I read the Quran, it sealed it, and the more obedient one is to Allah, the more reassurance you get.

Practically, dreams for me are a good way to measure my level of spirituality, and they give me reassurance in a realm beyond ours. The more I practice, the more amazing they get.

Islam talks about a realm other than ours, so it all sets it perfectly with my faith.

[femmebeliever]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Very funny, did you read my post on lindt in jannah? :)

I used to base it on my dreams too and the ability to just know and perceive the truth. But I don't know maybe I am doing something that god doesn't really like. Its a bit scary trying to navigate the truth and what I'm expected sometimes, and it definitely challenges ones sanity and faith sometimes.

Make doa for me. And may Allah always keep you in the straight path!

Jzk for your response.

[blackarmour]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Very funny, did you read my post on lindt in jannah? :)

I used to base it on my dreams too and the ability to just know and perceive the truth. But I don't know maybe I am doing something that god doesn't really like. Its a bit scary trying to navigate the truth and what I'm expected sometimes, and it definitely challenges ones sanity and faith sometimes.

Make doa for me. And may Allah always keep you in the straight path!

Jzk for your response.

Yes I did, and coincidentally I have a box lying in my fridge. Well, it's almost finished now.

Will do, and Thank you. Strive hard & may Allah always keep you in the straight path too!

[drac16]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

:wswrwb:

I know He's there because He revealed Himself to me. I don't necessarily know, as in being 100% certain, that Islam is correct, but I suppose I'm as close to being certain that I can be (inasmuch as a frail human being can be). We have the Qur'an, which has proven to not have been changed sinced the Uthmanic reign. We know it hadn't changed since the first revelation until Uthman's compilation of it because there were Qur'an memorizers who knew it off by heart. These were the same people who know Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] personally; they heard him recite the Qur'an to them, they were there when the archangel Gabriel [preace be upon him] came down from Heaven to discuss the fundamentals of the deen with the Prophet, they ate with him, prayed with him, travelled with him, lived with him, etc. Our book was not compiled hundreds of years after the fact by people who were not contemporaries to the events of Scripture (the battle of Badr, the battle of Uhud, The Hijra, etc). No other faith can trace their holy book, down to every last verse, to the beginning.

I don't pretend to have all the answers I'll ever need, nor do I claim to have all the faith I'll ever need. I, however, have faith the Allah is going to lead me through this lifetime at a pace that is perfect (remember, He doesn't burden a soul beyond its capacity). The key to living an Islamic lifestyle is not to be independent-- it's to be dependent (i.e. depending on Allah for everything). Reliance on the self only leads to pride or despair.

[|Sister|]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

:salams

Islaam isn't about a "fulfilling, inspired life" (although that is very possible). Islaam is about worshiping Allah. The only reason Allah created us is to worship Him, and our final goal is the akhira, not this temporary world.

There are many things people don't know about anything. I don't really see how that is related to Islaam? Allah told us that we have only been given a small fraction of knowledge, and the rest is with Him. Of course we don't know many things (and we never will, no matter how much we discover).

I believe because Allah guided me. And whoever Allah guides, nobody can misguide. There is no "understanding of Islaam", the truth is very clear from falsehood. Allah has told us how to live a successful life (not necessarily a "happy" one, as happiness is for jannah). We follow His orders, and we will be successful. If we disobey Him, we will lose this life and the next one as well. It's pretty simple.

As for being fulfilled, that will never happen unless one is happy with what he has. No matter how much you earn, how many great jobs you get, how much you own, how large your family grows; if you do not have Allah, you can still become depressed and unfulfilled (rich and 'successful' people suicide all the time). Allah has already told us what we need to be content: "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest". It doesn't matter if you ever reach your goals, as long as you have Allah as your ally, you need nothing else. Everything in this world is temporary and nothing will follow you to your grave except your imaan and good deeds.

[.Hajar.]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

:wswrwb:

I know He's there because He revealed Himself to me. I don't necessarily know, as in being 100% certain, that Islam is correct, but I suppose I'm as close to being certain that I can be (inasmuch as a frail human being can be). We have the Qur'an, which has proven to not have been changed sinced the Uthmanic reign. We know it hadn't changed since the first revelation until Uthman's compilation of it because there were Qur'an memorizers who knew it off by heart. These were the same people who know Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] personally; they heard him recite the Qur'an to them, they were there when the archangel Gabriel [preace be upon him] came down from Heaven to discuss the fundamentals of the deen with the Prophet, they ate with him, prayed with him, travelled with him, lived with him, etc. Our book was not compiled hundreds of years after the fact by people who were not contemporaries to the events of Scripture (the battle of Badr, the battle of Uhud, The Hijra, etc). No other faith can trace their holy book, down to every last verse, to the beginning.

I don't pretend to have all the answers I'll ever need, nor do I claim to have all the faith I'll ever need. I, however, have faith the Allah is going to lead me through this lifetime at a pace that is perfect (remember, He doesn't burden a soul beyond its capacity). The key to living an Islamic lifestyle is not to be independent-- it's to be dependent (i.e. depending on Allah for everything). Reliance on the self only leads to pride or despair.

:salams

Islaam isn't about a "fulfilling, inspired life" (although that is very possible). Islaam is about worshiping Allah. The only reason Allah created us is to worship Him, and our final goal is the akhira, not this temporary world.

There are many things people don't know about anything. I don't really see how that is related to Islaam? Allah told us that we have only been given a small fraction of knowledge, and the rest is with Him. Of course we don't know many things (and we never will, no matter how much we discover).

I believe because Allah guided me. And whoever Allah guides, nobody can misguide. There is no "understanding of Islaam", the truth is very clear from falsehood. Allah has told us how to live a successful life (not necessarily a "happy" one, as happiness is for jannah). We follow His orders, and we will be successful. If we disobey Him, we will lose this life and the next one as well. It's pretty simple.

As for being fulfilled, that will never happen unless one is happy with what he has. No matter how much you earn, how many great jobs you get, how much you own, how large your family grows; if you do not have Allah, you can still become depressed and unfulfilled (rich and 'successful' people suicide all the time). Allah has already told us what we need to be content: "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest". It doesn't matter if you ever reach your goals, as long as you have Allah as your ally, you need nothing else. Everything in this world is temporary and nothing will follow you to your grave except your imaan and good deeds.

:wswrwb:

jazaakumullah khayr

[femmebeliever]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

I think I understand what you mean by not being necessarily 100% certain that Islam is correct. For me that comes out as I'm not sure if "my" Islam is correct. And jzk for the poignant reminder about pacing and dependence on Allah swt.

In the Bible, the Gospel of Luke XII 48 says, For unto whom much is given, of him shall be much required.

Islam differs slightly and that really comes down to ones understanding of life, relationship with God, and Allah swt.

[femmebeliever]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Jzk sister.

You speak the truth. Yesterday an uztaz reassured me that one should always feel a sense of uneasiness with regards to one's faith. Because religion is not simply for belief but reflection and retrospection.

Tariq Ramadhan talked a little about this in his talk.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbFX57mzw6A

He left out a lot about God and submission to Him in his talk.. I guess it wasn't going to appeal very much given the crowd.

And then I looked at it biologically, Allah swt created us in a way when we have this sense of uneasiness it is a warning sign. And it is a sign to question and reflect and figure out what is needed. And yet a lot of Islamic literature says that uncertainty is was-was whisperings from Satan to shake ones faith.

Wallahu alam.

I just know that Islam and Allah swt's role and relationship in my life is changing. And I'm transiting from the this separate sense of self and " entitled I" to something very uncomfortable 'servitude'. Alhamdulillah easy for some, not so easy for others... Even how we come to Islam, differs and the thing is it is not like I can just snap out of this feeling of uneasiness. I can't. Because I chose to believe in Islam. And I can't unchoose it. It's near impossible because I know He is there. And my entire existence rests on Him. If say, I decide to end this uneasiness by murtad, nauzubillahminzalik. I just can't. I know Islam is the Deen, and Allah is there. If I decide to just end the uneasiness through suicide, I know what is going to happen. So the next choice I have is to be maybe something like yourself. Which I cannot understand, and just don't know how to be. Because you are you and I am me.

When I was younger, before Islam. I would have all these issues of existential understanding of faith and people would tell me to get over myself, and stop thinking of the self as such a great important thing. People live, survive, worship, die and that's it and live again for a God (for the believers), I was told.

I could never understand that, it just never made sense. And then Islam came to my life, through the Qur'an, and it is like a soft light on my heart. But Islam is not supposed to maintain as a kumbaya.. feel good. Its real, just like life. Like you put it. And its hard because there is you, and then there is Islam, and to become Muslim is the merging of the two not just physically, but also spiritually, mentally. And its a struggle.

I am just undergoing another series of this confusion.. and I was just wondering, if there is anybody out there who undergoes the same process. Iman is the issue I guess. Astaghafirullah.

May Allah always strengthen your faith sister.

[|Sister|]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Sister, that is what we are. We are in servitude to Allah. We are His slaves and He is our Master. Whether we accept it willingly or not, we are still His slaves to do with what He pleases. Those who accept willingly, He will make them happy. Those who reject it, He still takes care of them and provides for them until al-qiyama, when they will answer for their ingratitude. Reject or accept, it affects nobody but you.

Yes, many people go through it. I think the hardest things for anyone to do is controlling their anger, and accepting that others have authority over them. There will always be someone in charge of you, you'll never be "free", this is a delusion. It's either your parents, your boss, your police, your government, your king, or Allah. Many people even fall slaves to trivial things like fashion, alcohol, gambling, ect. You will always be under somebody's thumb and have to obey someone.

So make it Allah. And when you accept servitude under Allah, then nobody has power over you. Allah is the best of allies. He is the Most Just, Most Kind, Most Loving, Most Forgiving. There is no better King to follow than Allah.

[|Sister|]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

In the Bible, the Gospel of Luke XII 48 says, For unto whom much is given, of him shall be much required.

Islam differs slightly

Not really. There is a hadith that states similar. That if two people, rich and poor, gave a certain amount, that the charity given by the poor one is worth more because he gave more percentage of his total wealth. It encourages the rich to give more because they have more.

If someone could link the hadith that would be great :jkk:

[Ariadne]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Salaammualaikum, how many of you know for sure Allah swt is there.

I do a lot of muraqaba, I often think of the great oneness, the Intelligent Supreme force that binds all things. I often feel in awe of the beauty of nature and mysteries of Universe. We are only a microcosmos, a piece of puzzle amid the giant picture. Nothing of this beauty is coincidence. If you see the beautiful work of art, you will consider the talent of artist. Nature, universe, and ourselves are the great work of art. And when we adore them, we should adore the one who created them.

Allah is the Creator, the greatest artist and cherisher of life.

And you also know Islam is the religion.

I studied several religions, only Islam makes sense to me. Though I don't understand some rulings, it's much more perfect than most world religions today, or even most belief systems.

But you live wondering if there is something wrong with your understanding of Islam and your practice of it?

Life is a never ending learning and quest to seek for answers. today's actions are not final. yesterday's failure is not fatal. the answer is to keep growing.

How do you in a practical sense uphold your moral independence and integrity when there is just so many things you just do not know about Islam, the world at least practically and experientially not theoretically?

Rumi once said : life is a dream, and only in death we awakes.

True fulfillment doesn't come from conforming to the crowd, it only comes from your inner self and The Source of life. In the end, from Allah we comes and to Allah we shall return. Only if we take grip on His rope, we can be safe and grounded. If not in dunya, then in Akhirah,

And what do you do to lead a more inspired or fulfilling life as a Muslim?

To live inward and outward.

Inward by constantly improving yourself, to connect with your Cherisher (Allah) and really mindful of His closeness, to purify our heart constantly from hatred, malice, envy, anger, etc.

Outward by serving the humankind the goodness.

"The best among you are those who contribute the most benefits for others" (Sahih Bukhari)

[femmebeliever]

Re: A fulfilling Muslim life.

Yes I did, and coincidentally I have a box lying in my fridge. Well, it's almost finished now.

Will do, and Thank you. Strive hard & may Allah always keep you in the straight path too!

:o