Guest Questions

Salaam Guest,
I thank you for your questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability insha'Allah.
1.Did you research into any other religions on your journey
?
I did research other religions on my journey, however I knew I belonged to one of the monotheistic religions...I knew I believed in one God, and I was raised Christian so I had enough knowledge of that...and Judaism was just not for me. I found the most truth in Islam, not any other, which is why I chose to convert...I cannot find a flaw in Islam...because there is not one.
Do you believe that after you pass away, you will go a different place than your non-Muslim friends/family?
I do not believe that true believers in God go to hell so no I believe that everyone I know that has faith in God will somehow be with me in the afterlife. However I cannot really say because it hasn't happened yet....and only God knows this...

In the Noble Quran, verses 3:2-6 says: Allah! There is no God save Him, He has revealed unto you O Muhammad

the Book, the Quran, as He revealed the Torah unto Moses and the Gospel

unto Jesus for guidance to mankind. Lo! Those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, Muhammad and the Quran, for them await a terrible chastisement in the afterlife.

This is simply for people who do not believe in God NOT non-Muslims, Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God.....

3. What are your views on women wearing hijabs or burkhas? Should it be free choice for girls born into the faith?Should they wear them for the right reasons (i.e. devotion to God), rather than to keep family and friends happy/outwardly show they are Muslim.

I believe that the reason women should wear hijab is to please God. Intention is everything in Islam so when one has a good intention for wearing hijab it is rewarded, when one is wearing it just to please humans it is not counted the same:

“All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, he whose migration was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

This is another quote from the Holy Qur'an that states about good deeds and bad deeds and I believe this can apply to the last two questions

Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it. And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it", [The Earthquake : 7-8].

4. Do the rituals ever conflict with other parts of your life? For example, you are in class when it's prayer time?
Yes actually I deal with this every day, but as for everything Islam has a solution. Of course I am not to give up going to school in America because they do not acknowledge Muslim prayer times, that would be ridiculous, God wants me to be educated, and Islam is supposed to be easy. God does not want prayers to be a chore or to get in the way of one's success in life. God is all merciful and understanding so there is a solution to this. One may group the prayer. So one prays Fajr, the dawn prayer, then can group the next Dhur and Asr, then can group Maghrib and Isha (by grouping I mean pray at the same time). However Muslim prayer can be complicated to someone with no background so I am going to include some resources about prayer because I could write pages about it. But yes my final answer is ISLAM IS EASY...not rigid, there are always exceptions and stuff happens in life....
Also.....women do not have to pray when they are on their period, or after childbirth, this shows how merciful God is because women do not need to worry about prayer during that time.....also if you are sick or handicap or injured you can pray the best you can (i.e sitting down, lying down). But here are a few website so you can learn more.

http://islam.about.com/od/prayer/Prayer_Salat.htm

There is also a link on my blog about prayer it says "how to pray"

http://www.jannah.com/learn/flashprayer1.html

5. If you abstain from alcohol, will u be able to enter a bar to drink soft drinks but to be with your friends?

Ok, technically yes, if I'm wearing hijab, but why would I want to be there is I didn't drink? It is not a good environment for me! I do not want to be hit on by guys, and I should not be around drunk people. Some Muslims do this, but I think it is kinda silly, I have been to bars and not drank and it is NOT FUN! There is no purpose for me there, I do not enjoy the atmosphere at all. Also I do not support places like that and in order to get in I might have to pay a cover, I do not want to spend my money on support of haram things. This might sound a little crazy to some people, but I promise you I can have a good time like anyone else....but I do not feel any connection to people when they are drunk. The non-muslim friends I have that do drink, don't invite me when they go out because they know it is not my scene, I don't need to go be with them, I can just see them another time. And if that is all they do ...then we probably won't be friends for long. This may sound harsh but I quote an old friend of mine "You hang around the barbershop long enough your going to get a haircut..." I do not need to put myself in that situation....

6. How does Islam explain the bad/challenging things that happen in life, such as wars,famine,severe illnesses (hardest question!)? Actually this question I found to not be the hardest because Islam gives a clear explanation, God gave humanity the greatest gift of all his creations - free will. Therefore we have to suffer the consequences of our choices, good and bad. Wars are human creations, not God created. As for the other stuff, this life is considered a test, and our reactions to everything are being recorded in either the good deed pile or bad deed pile. If we were not tested then our choices would not be worth much...if you never were tested, your true heart and strength would not be apparent. For more detail and explanation this is a Fatwa that explains this...........
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Islam-947/Islam-Explain-Suffering.htm

. What is your view on people of any religion who try to recruit others people to join?
I believe that actively trying to recruit people is pretty useless because one's heart must be open to accept Islam...or any change in religion, or to let God in your life...also the Qur'an states there is to be no compulsion in religion...
"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Taghut (evil) and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trust worthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. " (Qur'an 2:256)]

http://www.missionislam.com/discover/compulsion.htm

I think that one should wait until people come to them, trying to convert anyone in my opinion is never going to work, especially by using violence, or force. People should bring people to Islam with knowledge and by example.

I yet again thank you guest for your wonderful questions, always encouraged. I also state that these are my opinions and I am not a religious scholar, I am simply a new Muslimah, researching the world around her. I apologize if I offended anyone and comments are ALWAYS welcome. Thanks so much for reading my blog and may Allah bless you all.
Salaams,
Katie