When I was considering conversion I went on youtube for some quick stories of those who already took this step. It was important for me to know how they approached certain subjects that I found difficult if not impossible to reconcile. There are plenty of convert stories on youtube as they are supposed to be some kind of a proof that Islam is spreading.
I wasn't a person who thought about religion and God a lot so my research prompted a plenty of questions that I never asked myself. I never really thought of the whole concept of Hell. I didn't really think of Heaven either but simply assumed that if you are a good human being, you will go to heaven. After reading the Qur'an and spending some time on islamic forums I realised that this Hell-Heaven thing is serious business and people do actually fear Hell and dream of Heaven. It wasn't until very late in my research that a very uncomfortable thought occurred. Namely, if I converted and was granted Jannah (Paradise), my parents, as non-Muslims, would go to Hell. To top it up I would be able to see the torment of those in Hell:
Sahih International
7:50 And the companions of the Fire will call to the companions of Paradise, "Pour upon us some water or from whatever Allah has provided you." They will say, "Indeed, Allah has forbidden them both to the disbelievers."
So my parents and dear friends would ask me for water and some food and I would have to refuse... This brings me to a couple of videos I found on youtube.
First one is by Hamza Tzortizs talking about his non-Muslim parents:
The reality is, dear readers, that he willingly accepted totally wicked and twisted ideas that Islam teaches. It's pathology, plain and simple. For a split second I felt sorry for him but then I realised that his torment is self-inflicted and it makes me feel nothing else but revulsion. How can he possibly WORSHIP the same being that is going to torture his parents, who love him very much and he loves them, forever? How can he possibly not see anything disturbing in it? How the hell (pun not intended) can he reconcile the idea of Allah roasting his parents for eternity and at the same time believe he is some kind of pinnacle of goodness and mercy? It's just beyond me.
Hamza also loved his granddad very much. He speaks about him in this vid:
His granddad, who meant the world to him, fell ill and Hamza decided immediately to go and see him. He says: I have to go and see him. Give him dawah! To prevent him from going to the hellfire!
How can the only thing you can think of is converting the person who means the world to you while he/she is on his/her deathbed? How is it not sick and twisted to have such a thing on your mind when one of your loved ones is dying? Again, how can he continue to worship a being that will torture his loved ones for eternity?
Same question could go to Abdur Raheem Green who on 26th August tweeted:
Please make dua'a for my father who is critically ill that Allah (SWT) opens his heart to the light of Islam and if he is to die, let him die in a state of eeman. Ameen.
On 2nd October he posted this:
Dear brothers and sisters, May Allah have mercy on you and reward you for all your du'aas which, All Praises due to Allah, have been answered. Around 10 Days ago, my father said the testimony of Faith and a few days ago despite him being barely able to talk we spent half an hour repeating over and over the shahaadah. Last night at 2220 I received a call from my Mother informing me that my Father Passed away. Insha'Allah he died as a person of eemaan. Please continue to make dua'a for him and of course that my mother is guided to Islam.
The idea of him hassling a dying man to convert and making sure he is in the 'right team' instead of catering to his emotional needs... well, it's pathological evil to me.
This highlights how insidious Islam as a religious ideology is.
And the last video:
That was straight-up cruel and evil of Zakir Naik. I think this lady instinctively knows the sadism and vileness she was brainwashed into but for some reason she can't snap out of it. I would think, people like her should know better...
Hard to believe for most people this is a higher moral stance...
22 comments:
As a Muslim, my firm belief is that Allah is Most Merciful. In Surrah Fatiha--the chapter that is recognized as the SUMMARY of the entire Qur'an--there is nothing that talks about Allah's Wrath or Punishment. Contrarily, His Mercy and Forgiveness is mentioned TWICE. 7 verses of a chapter sum up the entirety of the Qur'an and two whole verses from the 7 are used to describe the Mercy of Allah.
Allah did not create a world such that most of its inhabitants would go to Hell. That is against the Mercy of Allah. I don't believe that you have to be 'Muslim' i.e. have to follow the Shariah in order to be a believer of God. The ultimate message of Islam has been and always will be to recognize God as One. Even in the Qur'an, Allah refers to Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians as believers.
Perhaps, 'mainstream' Islam holds this perception that automatically those who don't proclaim to be Muslim will go to Hell. But I don't think everything can be taken as face-value. I was at a Halaqa the other day and the brother was discussing how our character is the most important thing as Muslims. That our good character can make up for our lack of worship but worship cannot make up for our lack of good character. Who am I to say that some non-Muslim is going to go to Hell because I stood for prayers 5 times a day and he didn't? Only Allah knows what is in the hearts of men and only He can Judge. Truth is, we REALLY don't know if someone is going to Hell or Heaven.
We take on this common misconception that the word 'disbeliever' means everyone who is non-Muslim. That isn't the case.
This is my opinion, and perhaps 'mainstream scholars' may say something else. But I don't believe Islam is a religion of zealousness or hatred. I don't believe God is Wrathful. His Punishment and Wrath is an exception. His Mercy is the norm. And if every Muslim were to adopt this attitude, the Muslim world would be a better place.
I'm very happy to see that you are so motivated to find out the truth that you created a blog only for that! It's very good and normal to ask yourself questions when you are hesitating about converting to a new religion. That's what I did aswell before my conversion to islam.
I'd just like to say that there's a well known hadith which says that Allah has prescribed Mercy for Himself.
When it's said 'disbeliever' in the quran it doesn't mean your parents or your friends. It would be so cruel and completely unfair if they were put in hell just like that. In most of the cases the word "disbeliever" means people who have SEEN with their own eyes proof from Allah, but doesn't believe in it. What is also important when reading some verses is to understand the context! For example some of the verses about disbelievers/Christians or whatever are revealed during a war, after the "disbelievers" had done loads of bad things to the muslim community.
Another thing I've noticed myself is the translation. Very often I see mistranslated verses that actually have a completely different meaning in arabic. I can't give an example now because I'm reading the quran in French or in Finnish so it won't help you if I'd gave you some French verses :)
Anyway, don't take your ex as an example of islam. We are all only human beings and GOOD examples are hard to find. If you learn how the prophet Muhammad acted in all the situations he lived, you CANNOT conclude that islam is a cruel/bad religion.
Only thing I know for sure is that islam is the most misundertood religion in the world because you need to be well educated and know loads of things about islam to understand (Because life is a test!). I think that's the reason why a lot of scientists for example decide to convert to islam...
There is also a verse I could use to answer you:
"And do not let ill-will towards any folk incite you so that you swerve from dealing justly. Be just; that is nearest to heedfulness" [5:8]
With this you can conclude that justice is an obligation of Islam and injustice is forbidden. That's why, as a muslimah, I'm not being disturbed by things you write in your post, because I believe 100% that Allah is always completely fair(and punishing innocent people would be unfair!)
I hope you won't stop your researches until you are 100% sure about what is true and what isn't. It would be a shame if you would pass by the truth (if ever islam is :D)....
Have a nice day,
Maticha
Dear Noshi,
thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment :)
I wasn't aware that sura Fatiha is a summary of the entire Qur'an.
First of all, let me tell you that you are entitled to believe in whatever you wish i.e. that you don't have to be Muslim to believe in God etc. Of course, there are many people out there who believe in God, but not God as Allah, and the Qur'an as His word. They also don't recognize prophethood of Muhammad. What about them?
What about those who don't believe in God or blatantly deny His existence?
Noshi, we both know that the biggest 'crime' in Islam is shirk-ascribing partners with Allah. By that definition, most Christians are doomed to hellfire.
I don't try to pick faults with your arguments but the Qur'an gives you some indication on who might/might not be going to hell/heaven, otherwise you wouldn't be a Muslim. The people in the videos I linked to are terrified that they loved ones are destined to hell unless they accept Islam...
As for proportions of Allah mercy vs wrath... I'm not a very positive person and maybe that's why I see it this way but pretty much on every page of the Qur'an there is a mention of hell, torture, punishment etc. I simply cannot block it out... I don't want to concentrate on it but in all fairness you cannot say it's not there either, can you?
Any thoughts on the vids I linked to?
hello Maticha (what an interesting name! I wonder if it's pronounced the way I hear it in my head :)
Well, I guess this blog is mostly about my musings about Islam and thoughts I had when I was considering conversion.
Sorry, the hadith you mention doesn't ring a bell, do you mind finding a link for me? thank you :)
In one of other posts I had a discussion with a commenter about different states of disbelief and its repercussions. In my comment above to Noshi I mention nowadays Christians who ascribe divinity to Jesus - making it the biggest crime according to Islam. That's my parents we are talking about. Do they deserve to burn for eternity? Absolutely no!
That's beside the point. The point is Maticha that Hamza and others who I linked to BELIEVE their loved ones ARE ELIGIBLE FOR HELL (let's put it this way) and they still feel they should worship a being that will torture their family and friends forever. I would like to hear your thoughts on this if you wanted to share with me :)
I don't take my ex as an example of a Muslim. I read the scripture and hadiths and really I can see a lot of it in him.
I do agree with you that Islam is probably the most misunderstood religion. It does take A LOT of work and time to educate yourself, interact with people, read different sources to try to make sense of one single verse. That's what is so fascinating about it as a subject to study, I think :)
Speaking of misunderstandings. Could you please tell me why there is so much confusion what Islam is or is not if it is supposed to be clear and easy to understand?
Scientists converting to Islam? Any sources for such claim?
uh it's late! bed time :-) thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment :) have a lovely day tmrw!
The way I see it, similar to Maticha and Noshi, is that ALLAH is the Most Merciful and the Ultimate Judge. We as humans have absolutely no idea who will end up in Heaven and who will be in Hell. ALLAH knows everything about us, and He takes into account our situations, circumstances, beliefs, etc. and then makes a fair judgment based on that. Since humans can't know everything about a person, even ourselves, we have no right to pass judgment on the fate of others, even ourselves. However, because ALLAH has said that His Mercy is greater than His Wrath, I have faith that He will judge us all fairly and grant people mercy, even if they may have made mistakes in life. I can't stand when Muslims condemn others to Hell, or when they say, "When I go to Jannah...", as if they know exactly what will happen to everyone. If you don't know, don't say anything, period (when I talk about it, I am always careful to say "if I go to Jannah", just to emphasize that it is all uncertain, but I hope that I do go).
I didn't watch the videos, but the thought of people persistently trying to get their family to convert is really disturbing. I want my family to be Muslim because Islam gives me happiness and peace of mind, and I want them to share that too. But to constantly proselytize to them and tell them that they're going to hell if they don't accept it is incredibly disrespectful, not to mention wrong (again, no one knows who will be in Heaven or Hell). And the thought of a deathbed conversion is downright creepy. At most, I would bring up Islam when the conversation warranted, and maybe read some Qur'an verses if they asked to hear it, but I would never, ever try to persuade them to say the shahadah unless they really wanted it and asked me to help them. Conversion (to any religion) should always be from the heart, not because someone is pressuring or threatening you with eternal Hellfire if you don't.
hi Banana Anne :-)
welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Of course you cannot know who is going to hell/heaven but the Qur'an does give you some indication and clues about what might earn you a ticket to hell/heaven.
The vids are not very long (2minutes each I think) and well worth watching. Clearly, they have a different opinion about disbelievers/hell etc from yours, which is fine by me :)
What I take beef with really is the fact that they are pretty much convinced their loved ones are going to hell and still worship the being that will be torturing them forever. That was the most important point of my post.
take care :-)
Zakir Naik is a hippie tossbar and the only reason he walks around freely talking crap is because of the very unfortunate lack of place in mental institutions these days. He's on the waiting list though.
I couldn't watch- but I know the type of thing you are talking about. In Islam ONLY Allah can judge. What is truly in a person capacity and heart can not be known or judged by another person.
And you seem to forget that the Quran is quite clear in giving a positive status to Christians in general while disagreeing with their doctrine. If you back the up with the Muslims seeking refuge with the Christians of Eithiopia, the fact that Muslims can marry Christians and the fact that Muhammad let the Christians of Najran pray in the mosque- shows that clearly they are not just automatically doomed for their doctrinal mistake (and yes, all these Christians believed in the divinity of Christ and were Trinitarian- something many Muslims, sadly are unaware of when they make their hate filled diatribes.
In Islam acts must be based on correct intention. I don't see how getting a sick person to repeat the shahada without knowledge "saves" them. That almost seems like a supersticious magic spell- but yes many Muslims do it.
I agree 110% with Banana Anne,Noshi and Maticha.If I believe islam and Qur'an verses as BA the other sisters believe,we need not to watch your mentioned video's.
at all.
Q.
@Safiyah,
buhaha girl that was hilarious! how are you my dear? xx
@Sandy,
I always like your insightful comments on AB so maybe you could tell me where such attitude might be coming from ie. if only Allah can judge but those people who claim to represent Islam such as Naik or Hamza, who is very involved in dawah, say such things to a wider audience?
could it be because of this verse:
3:85 Sahih International
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
As for the second paragraph of your post, I'm not sure how it's relevant? Things you mentioned seem like an indication of religious tolerance such as Christians praying in the mosque but I don't see how they are not doomed for their doctrinal mistake (sorry, I think I might be missing what you see :) ).
Also, it's a bit misleading to say that Muslims can marry Christians cause it's only Muslim men who can marry 'people of the Book'. A Muslim woman cannot marry a Christian or a Jew according to my knowledge. Plus, children of a Muslim and Christian union are automatically Muslim.
Great that you mention Christians back then cause I read at some point that the expression 'people of the Book' does not apply to nowadays Christians cause they assign divinity to Jesus, whereas back then there was a group of Christians that believed Jesus was the prophet of God but they didn't ascribe divinity to him. Does that make sense? I cannot remember the name of the branch of Christianity with such views and as I said, this is sth I read somewhere and never checked it. Do you know anything more about it?
i'm travelling today and tmrw so apologies in advance for late publication of your comments and my replies. take care Sandy!
@ Anon Q
it's interesting how you can comment and disagree with sth that you haven't even seen.
I think it is coming more from an attitude rather than the faith. You see black/white thinking in every faith and they all can kind find verses in their holy books that can support black/white, saved/not saved views. Ultimately I think it stems from massive insecurity and wanting certainty that they are "right'. And because they only think in black/white they assume that God/Allah only sees in black/white, and are incapable in concieving of anything gray. Because that represents uncertainty and they must be certain they are "right".
Orthodox views are only Men can marry Christians- but that hasn't always been how it's practiced and there are minority views that say otherwise. It has certainly always happened at times. I've known couples like that myself- but not many. Even accepting the orthodox view- do you really think that condemned women would be suitable mothers for Muslim children? Or acceptable wives for Muslim men?
Nowadays, many MANY Muslims like to spout about how Christians were "different' back then. However they really weren't. The Council of Nicea met in the 4th century. All the major churches including those Muhammad interacted with (Egyption Copts, Syrian Church, Eithiopian, Najran) were Trinitarian and believed in the divinity of Christ.
As for Children of mixed faith marriages being the faith of their father??? That is purely a tribal belief. ANd it is probably mostly true in a tribal/patriarchal world. But not everywhere is like that. People ARE what they BELIEVE. Many children take their mothers faith if she is the one who spends the most time with them.
Sorry about all the apoligizers, either they dont understand Islam or dont want to accept what it says.
You seem to understand Islam more than the "muslims" who are commenting here.
You are correct about the hadeeth and indeed Allah s.w.t. promises the disbelievers hellfire.
So consider yourself warned.
This life is just a test, men have free will so that Allah s.w.t. can have proof for us to see who deserves heaven and hell on Day of Judgment.
Who do you suppose wrote the Quran? And since you dont believe in it, why not spend time for yourself doing something positive, since you only live once?
Truth is we live forever, just not here on this earth nor in this body.
You loved your ex because of the Islam in him, you just feel inferior, because you are inferior, not to him but to Muslims.
It is true that no other way of life is accepted but Islam so why dont yiou embrace it, even if you dont like all of it. why risk it? What if it is true?
Can you compare yourself with any Muslima women out there?
Is there a difference between a woman who fornicates and a woman that doesnt?
Is there a difference between a man who loves God and the one who just blindly dwindles through life not even caring to enquire into who his God is and what he wants from him?
I am not saying I am better than you because I was born a Muslim man. I was born into a Muslim family but I chose to be obedient, why dont you choose the same?
No matter what your sins are, they can all be forgiven, as if they never existed if you embrace Islam.
It is the duty upon every human being to talk to God and ask who are you, what do you want from me? How can I serve you.
Sura Al Fatiha is the question that every man (human)should ask his God, the rest of teh Quran is the answer.
BTW I am sorry that your X got involved with you, he probably did love you and you may not see this but he is strong to have been able to give up the pleasures that he loves (you) for the sake of God.
I wish you could be with the one you love in halal.
Omar
@Sandy
Of course in every holy book you can find the good and the bad, just as you said. I do admit that I'm sometimes guilty of seeing the black, might be my not very positive nature. I see it this way: if there is some black I cannot say that there is only white, I can't say there is no black whatsoever. It would feel dishonest. I simply cannot block it out. Besides, what's the use of the good stuff if you can find bad stuff that makes the good stuff invalid or at least puts into question how much weight the good stuff actually has?
Also, if a holy book that claims to be the guidance for humanity can be used to support black/white interpretations then to me it's not divine.
Yes, as far as I know all schools of thought agree that Muslim women should not marry non-Muslim men (Jew or Christian). What is practiced is a completely different story (my ex being in a relationship with me is a case in point). You will also have the opportunity to see it when you read the next comment by Omar. Well, if a Muslim man views the condemned women (I take it means 'not approved of) as not approved of then no, such marriage will not last if it takes place in the first place.
As for children of a Muslim man, I would think they must be automatically Muslim because recognizes the authority of a man in a marriage. However, this could be coming from a tribal belief, I cannot prove otherwise.
@Omar
thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I consider myself warned Omar, thank you. I don't believe in Islam and the Qur'an cause I have no reason to do so.
You loved your ex because of the Islam in him, you just feel inferior, because you are inferior, not to him but to Muslims.
gotta love this one! I don't feel inferior Omar. If you view me as inferior simply because I don't share your beliefs (and I'm not talking about Islam in general, I'm talking about your particular interpretation of Islam), then I suggest you get in touch with your humanity but first of all get off your high horse cause you being Muslim doesn't automatically make you into sb better.
I don't want to embrace islam because I don't agree with its teachings. why risk it and what if it's true is not enough for me to believe. Besides God would know if I converted 'just in case it's true'.
As for my ex, I wish he had been strong not to start this relationship in the first place. It would save everyone involved a lot of heartache.
nice evening Omar!
Umm.... by black and white I did not mean good and bad. I just meant no shades of gray. Many things are neither good nor bad- its the application of them that matters. But these extreme people can't see that so they throw everything into a catagory- whether or not it belongs there.
As for Omar he appears the perfect example of what I am talking about. No shades of gray and he HAS to be right. If he had been born Christian he would no doubt be the kind that believes he is "right" and everyone else is going to hell. He would be advocating "Pascal's Wager" as a Christian in the same way he just advocated it as a Muslim. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if these black/white Muslims borrowed that from Christianity without knowing it. Small hearts see a small Allah.
All the current schools of thought may say that- but where did they come from? They are a man-made institution. They were not there in the beginning and at times there have been many others. So actually consenses of the 4 schools of thought is not some Islamic gold standard- though most have been indoctrinated to believe that.
ups my bad! misunderstood you on the black/white issue. i somehow extrapolated it to mean bad and good!
yes, of course, all the current schools of thought are a man-made institution but they base their judgements/jurisdiction on the Qur'an, hadiths and sira, no?
Omar!!! How can you say muslims are superior to others? What you are saying has no sense. You can't say things like that to a non-muslim. Allah says in the quran, sura 16 verse 125 "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best."
Or sura 4 verse 63 "(...)admonish them, and speak to them a word to reach their very souls."
Sorry, but if telling someone that he is inferior to us is wisdom... I think I'll go right away to the psychiatrist and tell him I have paranoia! You are also saying that "muslims" (whatever it means to you) commenting here doesn't know about islam... Alllllriiiight...
Have you ever read the quran?
By the way... I didn't come here to answer to Omar but I was so shocked about what he said that I had to.
So, Almost a Muslimah :)
Because you are very interested about islam I feel like it's my duty to try my best to transmit my knowledge to you. It's just a bit hard to say everything in one comment so I answered your questions here: http://questions-about-islam.blogspot.com/
Feel free to tell me all your thoughts. I'm a very open-minded person and I love to discuss :)
Good night,
Maticha
Ps. actually Maticha is just a nick name :) My real name is Mathilda. I think it's easier for you haha :)
just to let you know, i have a very limited access to my account right now and for the next few days. thanks! :)
"Belief in a cruel God, makes a Cruel Man"-Paine
I think this goes both ways. A cruel man can only understand, and makes a Cruel God.
It never ceases to amaze me that Muslims can say "Oft-forgiving, most merciful" all the time about Allah- and follow that with the harshest ungliest interpretation they can find- sometimes deliberately leaving things out- in order to make the most harsh, unkind, unjust claims in his name. If Allah is the MOST merciful- I expect him to be at least as merciful as I am. Which tells me something about the mindset, mercy level of some of these people. ANd then you have a bunch of scared sheeple who think it's better to be safe than sorry- or have never learned to evaluate evidence- and they follow.
@Maticha
well, yes, I am interested in Islam but just to let you know.. it's unlikely I will ever convert. I will check out your posts properly soon and will get back to you :)
thanks!
@Sandy,
back to my question about 4 schools of thought. what do you think (personally) about the validity of the claims they make?
I take the quote in this post as follows: you might not agree but I think there are certain things in all holy books that are outdated/harmful but are still being practiced because people believe that this is what God wanted and wants. Hence making a man cruel.
I do however see how cruel man can pick up the bits that suit his personality and make them seem as this is what God wants.
I read all the time about how Allah is the most merciful but as I said before, I cannot block out the passages talking about hell and punishment. Besides, according to me eternal punishment is in contradiction with mercy.
Sandy, may I ask you a personal question? As far as I gathered from AB, you've been a Muslim for many years. Have your understanding/views on certain matters concerning Islam changed over the years? have your faith and your understanding of it changed significantly if you were to compare the beginning of your journey and where you are now?
apologies if that's too presonal and you don't wish to share.
have a nice afternoon :)
The four schools of thought are based on the rulings and views of four scholars who lived in a particular time and place. I can't imagine they ever thought they would be institutionalized the way they were and I imagine would be very uncomfortable with it. Their rulings etc., are of course, made within a specific context. Yes, they ares sometimes reinterpreted for today- but it isn't at all like the original ruling process would be. I think they can be useful, they are historical and are a source of knowledge. I see no reason to "believe" in one.
Also, eternal hellfire is not really an Islamic belief. That's more Christian. My understanding is the Arabic word has connotations of "purification" in it (and it is true heat purifies) and people only stay as long as they have earned. Not for eternity.
Even the most conservative Muslim can probably give you an example from the QUran that is allegorical or spoken directly to the Arabs at the time. Or a verse that is merely telling a story. So what is contextual, or what is literal- is not as clear as some would like or are comfortable with. To me, that flexibility in meaning is what actually makes it possible for the Quran to be relevant accross culture and time. Some Muslims almost seem to make a case for it being for Arabs only and that we must live 7th century lives.
Myself, I started out much more orthodox. However, I -like many converts- didn't hear all the nastier bits till after conversion. For awhile I accepted them- after all Allah knows best and these people know more than I do. But after awhile, there was no way I believed a magnificent Creator of the wonders of our universe could be such a petty tyrant. It didn't add up. So I went back to the foundations. Quran, and hadith with caution. I absoluteily know scholars are often wrong- and feel no reason to listen to them, though there have been a few that I think are good. A lot of what people say is "ugly" in the Quran is just the story of things that happened. But if Muslims hadn't first pulled things out of context in order to justify wrong things I doubt others would have.
Sandy,
so the claims they make are not deprived of validity, especially if they provide sources from the Qur'an and hadiths to support their interpretation. That's how I always understood it. Of course, I don't think one should 'believe' in any of them but can be a useful source of information.
Interesting you say that hell is not eternal. Would you mind telling me which verses of the Qur'an you have in mind and which word has connotations of 'purification'?
As far as flexibility of the Qur'an is concerned. There are multiple ways of interpretation and different ways one can approach the subject. On one hand, I like it cause it gives flexibility and room to wiggle, but on the other I just feel that it has nothing to do with being clear-cut and transparent when it comes to meaning. I don't see how one can have it both ways.
Hence, even on this very page, you and other top commenters will strongly disagree with what Omar posted. To me as an outsider trying to make sense of Islam it's extremely confusing cause I don't know who is 'right'. Surely, you can't all be right, right? :)
So personally, the wide range of interpretations is sth that I don't like. Plus, it also begs a question for me: if the Qur'an is all so clear, why so many interpretations?
Thank you Sandy for your candid reply about your spiritual journey. I've read a post by another blogger and convert about how she felt 'cheated' and lied to after she converted because what people told her before accepting islam was a glossy image. They either completely skipped the nastier bits altogether or made them seem as not bad at all.
After struggle she gave up. Did you ever feel like giving up when some things just didn't feel right (sorry if that's too personal question!)
There are a lot of stories in the Qur'an. What's your approach to them? I mean, do you accept them as belonging to the past or as some kind of parable that can be interpreted to suit our times for example?
thank you for having this exchange with me, I really enjoy it :)
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