message: Please share this! It really helped me and I hope that it can help others too, especially new sisters. 1. Practice Islam as much as you can
“He who loves my Sunnah has loved me, and he who loves me will be with me in Paradise.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Tirmidhi) As a new Muslim, you will have trouble keeping up with prayers every day, fasting during Ramadan, and the many other practices in this religion. The struggle that we face, with such a radical change in lifestyle, is difficult and will take some time. Awkward moments are bound to happen, don’t fret. You are not expected to wake up at 4am every morning to pray tahajjud (extra night prayers). If you have problems with certain practices, then gradually work yourself into the mindset of worship. A counselor once told me when I was young, “How do you eat an elephant? Just One bite at a time.” Think of it as one step at a time. Pray to Allah (swt) and ask for Him to make it easy for you and the rest will come naturally. Keeping up with your devotional practices is something that will strengthen your faith immensely. Read the Qur’an whenever possible. Find a collection of hadith, such as Riyadh us-Saliheen, and read it often. You will start to feel a connection to Allah (swt) and you will become used to Islam as a religion and way of life. 2. Respect your parents “Heaven lies under the feet of your mother.” –The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Ahmad, Nasa’i) Keeping up a good relationship with your family is essential. Try to avoid bringing up or taking part in controversial subjects regarding religion. This is almost unavoidable, but your parents will eventually accept that Islam is not going to turn you into a terrorist if you stay calm during these tense moments. Gradually, your parents will gain some respect and understanding of Islam and may start to become genuinely interested. This is a great sign and insha’Allah, God will make a way for them to accept Islam. What you do not want to do is act like you know everything, attempt to debate everything, or overly defend yourself in a way that might make you angry or upset. This will just cause heartache and uneasiness. Your priority now should be to work on yourself. 3. Find a teacher “For him who follows a path for seeking knowledge, Allah will ease for him the path to Paradise.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Muslim) Finding a teacher to bounce ideas off of is a great way to learn your deen (religion). I found it is good to find someone with as much knowledge as possible who also has an understanding of the English language and American culture. It is difficult to listen to someone with a thick accent or someone with a back-home mentality. When I first accepted Islam, I would drive every day to visit my teacher and I would ask him what seemed like an endless stream of questions. Sometimes he seemed overwhelmed! This is a great way to clarify things you hear on Sheikh Youtube or Google or any part of the Qur’an you are reading at the time. This will also help you have a real grounding in the Islamic tradition. You will eventually have spent more time learning Islam than most people from Muslim families. Maintain a sense of humility if you do gain a lot of knowledge, as there will always be someone who will be more knowledgeable than you. Learn everything you can in small chunks, no one is asking you to be a scholar! 4. Keep away from debates and arguments “Verily anger spoils faith as aloe spoils honey.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi) Trying to constantly defend your religion is something that will cause you a lot of stress. I remember when I first accepted Islam, it seemed like the whole world was after me. This may happen to different people at different levels, but it was a very overwhelming experience for me. The best thing to do is avoid these arguments at all costs. If you are mature about your religion and display a desire to explain yourself without refuting others, then many doors will open for you. You are bound to give someone a refreshing view of Islam, which is what so many people are hungry for after seeing Islam in such a negative light in the media. Staying away from these discussions will put you at peace and give you breathing room. A lot of converts are not really comfortable with bringing up their religion because of the backlash they receive. Personally, I recognized that if I just mention it when necessary, I get a more positive reaction. You’ll be surprised to hear “Oh that’s cool dude, what made you pick that religion?” This is always an opportunity for da’wah (inviting to Islam). 5. Gain a connection to the Arabic language “Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.” -The Holy Qur’an, 12:2 This is one of my favorite parts of becoming a Muslim. To be honest, I’m a language-lover and I realize everyone is not the same in this regard. Just because you failed high school Spanish though doesn’t mean you will have trouble with Arabic. There are many tricks to learning the language that I won’t go into here, but there are ways to make this easier on yourself. These methods can be found online or in books; with a little research you can pave your way to gaining an understanding of Arabic. Start by learning the alphabet and connecting letters together. You can learn this in an afternoon if you know someone that is a native Arabic speaker (but go at your own pace). Sit on that for a while and eventually you will be able to follow along in the Qur’an if you listen to a recitation on your computer or MP3 player. You will start to recognize words, after which you can get into simple grammar rules. I recommend learning common nouns and prepositions first (words like “in”, “on”, “for” and “with”). Arabic can be really enjoyable, and you are bound to gain an Islamic vocabulary after listening to talks or lectures. Eventually you will know meanings of words like “furqaan” and “sajdah” and you’ll be able to use them in conversations with Muslims. Sabr (patience) is essential! 6. Understand Islam’s organic nature “Those who make things hard for themselves will be destroyed. (He said it three times.)” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Muslim) Coming to Islam will sometimes put you in a situation where you are overwhelmed with opinions that are hard to follow. As an example, one might be told that you have to wash your feet every time you make wudhu (ablution) unless you wipe over leather socks that have been worn from your previous wudhu. For most Americans, the idea of wearing leather socks is something that we find extremely unusual. If we do a little research, we find there are opinions of scholars that mention the permissibility of wiping over cotton socks (even ones with holes in them!). To an American convert, these opinions can cause a huge sigh of relief. 7. Maintain your Identity “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” -The Holy Qur’an, 49:1 Being a Muslim is a huge part of your identity now. That doesn’t mean you can’t barbeque with your friends or watch football on Sundays. If there are things in your culture that do not directly contradict with basic Islamic creed, then you are welcome to keep those things in your life. You do not need to start wearing Arab or Indian clothing. As long as your clothes cover what they are supposed to cover, you are in the clear. Many converts are also exposed to really weird food that is overly spicy or funny tasting. This might lead us to think that eating curry is sunnah or something righteous. We can still have our own culture and tastes in food: pot roast and beans are still halal! There are many other examples of things that you will be exposed to that are from foreign cultures and do not necessarily have anything to do with Islam. Our goal as new Muslims is to worship Allah (swt), not to add a Pakistani or Arab identity to our persona. It is good to have a teacher who understands the subtleties of different opinion in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and can inform you of differences among the scholars on issues that are of concern. Most people in masajid will have a very limited view of the juristic possibilities inside the Islamic tradition. Islam is a vast tradition and we should not make it small. These diverse opinions are there to help us, not cause strain on ourselves. 8. Force yourself to go to the masjid “The person who receives the greatest reward for the Salah is one who lives the farthest and has the farthest to walk.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Bukhari, Muslim) Going on Fridays is a given, but I would also recommend trying to fit a few prayers (at least) per week in the masjid. This will open many doors for you and will insha’Allah grant many good deeds to your account. You will meet people who are connected to Islam; networking opportunities are more readily available; and you are bound to make long-lasting friends. This is one of the things that I really love about Islam, that you can almost always find people in themasjid. Although this may be hard initially, try and go to the masjid. The payoff will be huge, even if you just pray and leave right after. You will eventually warm up to the community and you can feel more comfortable going to the masjid whenever you like. 9. Find Muslim friends and avoid severing ties “On the Day of Resurrection Allah Almighty will proclaim: “Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory’s sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shade where there is no shade but Mine.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Muslim) Saying “As-salamu ‘Alaykum” ( “Peace be upon you”) to people you see on campus or at the grocery store is a real blessing in Islam. It immediately lets people know you are Muslim and they usually will be happy to return the greeting and hopefully share a few words with you. Doors of friendship will be opened and you will meet lots of people. Try and spend some time with Muslims when you can. It is beneficial to remind yourself that you are not the only Muslim on the planet and you share your religion with almost 2 billion people around the globe. Also, don’t sever your friendships with your non-Muslim friends unless they are constantly partying or using the list of major sins as their weekend to-do list. You can be a light to your Christian, Agnostic, Jewish, or Atheist friends. You never know who Allah (swt) will guide, and showing that you are living an ethical life can encourage these people to learn a little about Islam or change their mind to having a positive view of the religion. 10. Avoid Loneliness “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being strange as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Muslim) This is a major problem in the convert community. We are lonely. The best thing we can do to fight the feeling of loneliness is to spend as much time as possible with good company. Having dinners with people a few nights a week is a sure way to maintain a good attitude. The practice of becoming a nun or a monk is alien to Islam; we are social creatures and Islam recognizes this. Try not to lock yourself away in your apartment to avoid the world. This will just cause a vicious cycle that will cause deep depression and can lead to searching for solace in haram (unlawful). Make it an obligation on yourself to remain a sociable human being. It takes a lot of work but the result is happiness and contentment in life. 11. Stay away from extremism “And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people.” -The Holy Qur’an, 2:143 Most converts do not enter Islam looking for an extremist point of view. Unfortunately, we have seen some converts do end up overseas working for terrorist organizations. This is something that can happen from a person feeling victimized or ostracized by their own culture and being overcome with anger. I personally have not had a problem with anyone trying to “radicalize” me. It does happen enough though that it should be a concern. It will be best for you to keep your head on your shoulders and not get caught up with extreme points of view. Know that all of the scholars overseas and in America have absolutely refuted terrorism in their fatawa (legal rulings). Extremism is on the very edges of the Islamic thought. Do your best to stay on a middle way. 12. Do not despair “So know that victory is with patience, and relief is with distress and that with hardship comes ease.” -The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Being a convert to Islam, you will face a lot of tribulations. There is not anything that you cannot overcome though, and never despair in Allah (swt). Allah (swt) guided to you to Islam, you searched for the answer and you found it. Be happy and constantly remind yourself of the blessings in your life. There are a lot of good things that will happen to you and you are on the straight road to Jannah (paradise). Rejoice in being Muslim. Remember the Sahabah (companions) were all converts to Islam and they were human beings that came from Adam and Eve just like you! Be strong and find comfort in your prayers and worship to Allah (swt). The first six months were the hardest for me, and insha’Allah we will all continue to grow as a convert community in America.
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From that same sister:
You think it's cute looking for eggs? Yeah, stop celebrating the jahiliyya's ways. Please refer to my submission about Valentine's day below. from a caring sister:
firstly, we do not need a day to celebrate love when islam is all about love and respect, peace and goodness, mercy and justice. why dedicate just one day for love when everyday we should be thanking Allah for Islam and HIS love and HIS guidance? subhanAllah nowadays muslims celebrate valentine's, do they realize it is celebrating a saint? we are not people who are supposed to imitate the disbelievers, so why do we? #food for thought
Brothers and sisters in Islam-- what are we doing? What is the ummah coming to?
source: http://mymonline.org/celebrating-a-non-muslim-holiday/
Have you ever wondered about the issue of celebrating or partaking in Non-Muslim holidays, festivals and celebrations? What is the Islamic ruling regarding this? Is it permissible, is it disliked, is it impermissible? Is there a difference of opinion on this matter? Insha’Allah, in this short article, I hope that all of these (and related) questions will be clearly answered. 1. Greeting the Kuffaar on Christmas and other similar holidays of theirs is Haraam by Ittifaaq (consensus of the scholars), as Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn al-Qayyim said in Ahkaam Ahl adh-Dhimmah: Congratulating the Kuffaar on the rituals that belong to them is prohibited by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on…” 2. It is prohibited for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them, as it implies taking part in their celebrations. 3. Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the Kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc. because the Prophet Muhammad said: مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَومٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” This hadeeth was authenticated by a great deal of scholars including Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibbaan, Ibn Hajar, Az-Zarqaani, Adh-Dhahabi, Al-Haythami, Al-‘Iraaqi, As-Sakhaawi, As-San’aani, Muhammad Jaarullaah As-Sa’di, Ahmad Shaakir, Ibn Baaz, Al-Albaani, Ibn `Uthaymeen, and others. Ibn Taymiyyah, in his beautiful and monumental book Iqtidaa’ as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalafatu Ashaab’il-Jaheem (In Pursuit of the Straight Path by Contradicting the People of the Hellfire), said: “Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to mislead the weak.” Therefore, whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, even if he does it out of politeness, friendliness, shyness, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islam and it makes the Kuffaar feel proud of their ways and festivals. Please also take note of the following: 1. Remember the hadith of ‘Aa’ishah in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim where she narrated that on the Day of Eid , two young girls were doing a special performance for her (singing some songs). When Abu Bakr came to visit the Prophet and found these girls with ‘Aa’ishah, he rebuked them harshly. So the Prophet (who had been facing the wall), said: يَا أَبَا بَكْر, إنَّ لِكُلِّ قَومٍ عِيدًا, وهَذَا عِيْدُنَا Abu Bakr, (know that) every group of people has its Eid (festival). And this is our Eid.” Eid عيد is the name given to something which returns (Ya’ood), and is used to describe gatherings which happens repeatedly on a regular basis. Therefore, the Prophet clearly stated that the Eid of the people of Islam is the Eid (celebration) after Ramadaan and Eid at the end of the Hajj season. In addition to this, Friday is also considered a Eid for the Muslims, because it is a weekly gathering and is the best day of the week. 2. The Prophet also explicitly expressed his desire to contradict the ways, celebrations, and festivities of the non-Muslims. In this hadith that has a good chain of narration, as stated by Abu Bakr Al-Athram, Umm Salamah Hind Bint Abi Umayyah said that, أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يصوم السبت والأحد ، ويقول : هما عيدان للمشركين فأنا أحب أن أخالفهما The Prophet used to fast on Saturdays and on Sundays, and he would say: “These are two days of Eid for the Mushrikoon. So I love to oppose them (contradict them, differ from them) in these two.” (For more info on the issue of fasting on Saturdays, see: http://www.islamway.com/?iw_s=Article&iw_a=view&article_id=2325 ) So, for the pagans, Saturday and Sunday was a special holiday for them, a Eid. On these days they would party, celebrate, relax, enjoy, dance, sing. And in and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with relaxing on Saturday our Sunday, but the mere fact that the Pagans used to do this, was enough reason for our beloved Prophet to differ from their practice and not imitate them and fast on these days (to show his indifference and his disregard for their Eid). So, just to differ from them, to show that we’re different, to indicate that he, in no way, is taking part in their Eid, he would fast on Saturdays and Sundays. It is as if to send a clear message: “I’m not partaking in the Eid of Non-Muslims. I want to differ from them. I love to differ from their practice (of relaxing, enjoying, partying) on these two days.” So, even though it’s permissible to relax on Saturdays and Sundays, he decided to exert himself and fast on these two days just for this particular purpose. Therefore, one can just imagine what our Prophet would’ve said if he were alive today and were asked about Christmas or Thanksgiving! What would he say upon seeing Muslims greeting and warmly congratulating the Kuffaar on their Eids? What if he saw his Ummah actually having Christmas trees and lights, imitating the Kuffaar and making these Eids of the disbelievers a part of their lives? Fully indulging, forget contradicting and trying to differ from them, the Muslims are not even shunning their practices, but are rather completely participating in their traditions! “Followers” of Muhammad as they claim, but yet we see them exchanging Christmas cards and presents with the Kuffaar and making Thanksgiving turkeys. On top of all of this, they are even allowing their children to go and partake with the Kuffaar in trick-or-treating and Halloween-related events. مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَومٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” So the above Prophetic words do not apply, as some ignorant people misunderstand, to normal common things, like wearing a T-shirt, or tie, or sneakers, or driving a BMW or Mercedes-Benz SLR. Rather, it refers to things that are specific for Non-Muslims and are well-known to be widely practiced by Kuffaar. For ‘Eids’ like Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, there is no doubt whatsoever that such Eids fall into this meaning. 3. Ibn al-Qayyim said in his book, Ahkaam Ahl adh-Dhimmah, “It is not permissible for the Muslims to attend the festivals of the disbelievers, according to the consensus of the scholars whose words carry weight. The Fuqahaa’ who follow the four schools of thought have stated this clearly in their books. Al-Bayhaqi narrated with an authentic isnaad from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab that he said: “Do not enter upon the disbelievers on the day of their festival, for divine wrath is descending upon them.” And ‘Umar also said: “Avoid the enemies of Allah on their festivals.” Al-Bayhaqi narrated with an acceptable isnaad from ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr that he said: “Whoever settles in the land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their new year and festival and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.” So yes, most definitely, as the Prophet told us, as reported in Saheeh Al-Bukhari: المرء مع من أحب “A person will be with the one whom he loved (on the Day of Resurrection).” You will be with the one whom you loved. “Love” is not just saying, ‘I love Allah, I love Islaam, I love Prophet Muhammad.’ Love is not talk. Talk is cheap! Love is striving to imitate, to be like, and to follow the practices of someone or something. Now, ask yourselves this: Are you imitating the Prophet more in your life, or are you abandoning his Sunnah? Forget about whether it’s obligatory or recommended. This isn’t a Fiqh issue. It’s an issue of: Do you really love the Prophet Muhammad such that you will strive to imitate him in every aspect of your life? Or are you imitating the Kuffaar more in your life? Do you imitate their traditions more than the traditions of your Prophet? Who do you wish to be resurrected amongst? You will be with those whom you love. may Allah swt bless the contributors to the muslim youth musings site and the sister who requested I post this. ameen! http://www.soundvision.com/article/47-safety-tips-for-muslim-women Muslims and their institutions have already been facing increased hostility, hate, and attacks in the wake of the February 10, 2015 murders of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Since then, an Islamic institute in Houston has been torched in what local law enforcement is suspecting is arson, a number of Muslims have been harassed while driving, and hate online is being whipped up, even amid the messages and vigils in support of American Muslims.
This is nothing new, especially for Muslims who have lived through Gulf Wars I and II, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, as well as any other attacks relating to Muslims and/or Muslim countries. Backlash and hate have become expected in these circumstances. However, what is new is the social media component. Hate online is something that was not as prevalent after 9/11. And it is the key ingredient in worsening Islamophobia today. Women in Hijab are at most risk. Given these extraordinary circumstances, we are offering these updated safety tips. We first issued them immediately after the 9/11 attacks. However, we have enhanced them based on our current circumstances. Please share widely. May Allah protect all from harm regardless of their religious, racial, or ethnic background. Your phone can save your life
Halloween is the celebration of the Eve of Samhain, a PAGAN and wiccan (jahiliyya & sihr) holiday. This celebrates false deities and is a time that marks sacrifices that pagans made to please gods.
From other sites, I found this information: Pagan Origins of HalloweenHalloween originated as the Eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter and the first day of the New Year among ancient pagans of the British Isles. On this occasion, it was believed that supernatural forces gathered together, that the barriers between the supernatural and human worlds were broken. They believed that spirits from other worlds (such as the souls of the dead) were able to visit earth during this time and roam about. At this time, they celebrated a joint festival for the sun god and the lord of the dead.The sun was thanked for the harvest and given moral support for the upcoming "battle" with winter. In ancient times, the pagans made sacrifices of animals and crops in order to please the gods.They also believed that on October 31st, the lord of the dead gathered all the souls of the people who had died that year. The souls upon death would dwell in the body of an animal, then on this day the lord would announce what form they were to take for the next year. Christian InfluenceWhen Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by placing a Christian holiday on the same day. The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in much the same way that Samhain had paid tribute to the pagan gods. The customs of Samhain survived anyway, and eventually became intertwined with the Christian holiday. These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland. Halloween Customs and Traditions
May Allah protect us! It's evil how these sorts of holidays are so modernized and made "cultural" and "popular". Same thing with Christmas. It's pagan. Easter too. They celebrate the coming of winter and the coming of spring for harvest gods. We have only one Lord, Allah, who created everything and has power over everything. It is disgusting how these holidays trick people into participating in things that imitate shirk and even valintine's day is bad because it really actually celebrates a saint who launched massacre on muslims. A: Salaam, turn to Allah for ease. When you make time for Allah, the burdens of this life become lighter, our priorities shift, and we find out what is truly important to us.
there have been many deaths in the community, and it only makes us realize how death could come without even a second's notice.
please make dua for the brothers and sisters of this ummah-all around the world. may we attain taqwa and live and die nobly with Allah being happy with us as His slaves. may we live long lives in worship of Him and may we meet in Jannah. Ameen ya Rab al 'Alameen!! it's wedding season in many places! may Allah grant us all righteous spouses and blessed marriages ameen.
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April 2016
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