Prayer and Foliage/Compassion and Consistency

RationalFaith-

Muslims believe that the Quran is the final word of God. It is still in its original form, which is in Arabic. As for a person being muslim, without believing in the Quran, I think that`s relative considering what someone gets out of reading and understanding it.

But I personally don`t think someone can understand Islam, without understanding what the Quran entails.

adnan # 18

Thanks. I am getting a better idea of what Islam is.

What is the role of Quran in Islam? Can a person be a Muslim without believing that it is the word of God?

RF #18:

To the best of my knowledge, this is all you need to be considered a Muslim. Everything else is relative. Another point the Muslims don`t emphasize enough is the concept of weighing your deeds - the good vs the bad. What this means is that just because one drinks alcohol does not automatically condemn him to hell. If his good deeds outweigh his follies, the person would still be eligible for paradise. The only absolute requirement is a belief in the oneness of God and Mohammed as his last prophet.

It is a pity that our clergy has turned this simple yet elegant religion into an overly-complicated political institution.

aaria

thanks

ZahraJ

you write It`s an interesting time of the year when foliage and ramzan have cared to fall at the same time.

ramzan falls?

...t

Very interesting textual juxtaposition. Would like to read another piece by the two writers.

It goes without saying how prayers can impact the well being of a human being. But the faith needs to be there. It`s an interesting time of the year when foliage and ramzan have cared to fall at the same time.

As I finished my real tough yoga class tonight, the male instructor along with the class recited a few prayers for the benefit of the whole human race. The studio had a lot of warmth and heat due to the number of students and then the prayers they recited added a lot to the spirit of the season.

Aaria

Thank you. So, there are three basic requirements to being a Muslim:

1. To acknowledge that there is one God.
2. This one God is called Allah.
2. That Muhammad was God Allah`s last prophet.

That seems simple enough. I take it that if a person does not accept any one or more of these requirements then that person is not a Muslim. And that all Muslims accept these three conditions.

Is that a view that everyone here shares? If anyone has any other description of the basic conditions to being a Muslim, please do let me know.

I have been criticizing Islam but it may be time to learn about the religion.

Thank you in advance for any further help.

RationalFaith- Islam is more than a religion, its a way of life, and in order to be a muslim one has to acknowledge that there is One God, Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad is his last messenger.

Dua can help you get a job, and feed you if you believe in the power of it and if you believe in Allah and his power. I say this because I have experienced it first-hand. I used to be quite a skeptic myself, however through Dua I have found solutions and answers.

Temporal- I agree. Ramadan is not the only month where we are to abstain for all things
``bad``, however in Islam, this month carries with it certain extra responsibilities, Ie:, Fasting and Tarawiya ( which are not mandatory) it is because of this that I choose to say a prayer, and of all those people I said a prayer for, they are all people I know, the woman who lost her son, the sister who lost her brother.. all jinazas I went to, and this year, this Ramadan those people are living while their loved ones are dead. I thought by sharing these thoughts with others- through dua- would bring peace and patience to them.

May be I can get some truthful answers if I maintain a respectful demeanor. I will not be offensive but please help me out here with what Islam is.

Could you please list the minimum that a person has to do or be to be a Muslim?

Thank you.

t: that`s exactly what i mean. He is Rabbul-aalameen (Lord of all the worlds). And the best of us is he or she who is closest to their Creator, through worship and good deeds, dua included.

Actions are the only pure form of `dua`. Everything else has the impression of lamentation.

Lunatic,

Dua is no doubt supplication; talking to the Creator. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, ``Even if you see that apocalypse is about to happen and you have a plant in your hand, go ahead and plant it.``
Whatever we want in this life, we must strive for it. Prayers are our statement of intentions. When we act upon them, we score. When we take one step towards God, God takes ten steps towards us. When we walk towards God, God comes to us at speed.

Dua is defined as any invocation or prayer addressed to Allah (SWT). In our times, we find many reasons why people do not make Dua; we forget, don`t know how, or just do not think it will be answered. Fundamental to this is the loss of dependence and trust upon Allah. As Muslims there is something very wrong when we believe our Duas won`t be answered. We do not turn to Allah in our times of need and instead put our trust, dependence and hopes on worldly things that we think will help us. Although these temporal things are the means through which our Duas can be answered, the root of our being should be trained automatically to turn to Allah and not anything or anyone else. Through Dua, we strengthen our Imaan and our relationship with Allah, as well as heighten our awareness of cause and effect that can help inspire and motivate us to be closer to Islam in our lives.
We find many reassurances throughout the Qur`an for those who make Dua. Allah the Exalted, has said:

``And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear your prayer`` (Qur`an 40:60),

``Call upon your Lord Humbly and in secret`` (Qur`an 7:55),

``When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me``

(Qur`an 2:186), ``Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering.`` (Qur`an 27:62)

Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, ``No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated.``
In fact, it is EVEN WRONG TO NEVER make Dua, ``Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him.`` [Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]

One should have expectation, belief with certainty only Allah can answer the Dua. Understanding dependence on Allah and asking with absolute resolve and believing with certainty that one`s Dua will be answered is a also a condition of acceptance. Iqbal even wrote:

Ghulami mai na kaam aati hain shamsheerein na tudbeerein
Jo ho ZAUQ-E-YAKEEN paida... toh kut jaati hain zanjeerein

One shouldn`t be so Heavenly minded... that one does no earthly good. i do believe that some of us just need to get off the ``I believe in God`` bandwagon and onto the ``I have an active, alive faith in God`` wagon. We need to move from simply watching, to doing. But all this is only possible if we have strong Faith.

wajahat

...thank you for a very thoughtful post…

…re: your query…I wish there was a clear cut answer…on paper…it is easy to say the child should forego his needs and requirement for his mothers…

…to come to Huqooq Allah (HA)and Huqooq ul Ibad (HI)…personally I believe the latter (HI) are equal to, if not preferable over HA…

(if interested there is a concurrent discussion over this on unplugged

…and only by emphasizing on a collective and individual effort to ameliorate and rectify…with a renewed focus on HI… will we be able to by pass and overwhelm the regressive clergy’s stranglehold...

lunatic and others…thanks you

…t

rozaiba

…what’s in a name?:)…as long as we understand it is not about abstaining from food and drinks…and it is a culmination of year long activities…not a month long abstinence that permits an eleven month pervasive escape, orgy and abandonment!…

aamir
you write …Islam means peace through submission to One God. One God means One people. Perhaps it`s better for us to concentrate on the meaning and implications of this statement rather than bringing up contentious issues for debate.

…I tried to reflect over your statement…tried hard…but got no where…what do you mean by One God means One people?…is this an exclusive Allah…a God of Muslims only?…I am wary of the exclusivist tendencies displayed by some muslims…and some jews and christians too…all the more when we insist he is the Rab-bul-aalameen…

…t

dreamz,

Dua may be the essense of worship, but the million-dollar question is, Does dua change anything in the physical world? Can it feed the hungry? Can it get me a job? Can it stop a robbery? And finally, can it save the life of a dying person? Iqbal tried to answer this question when he wrote:

Teri dua se qazaa to nahi`n badal sakti
magar hae is se yeh mumkin ke tou badal jaaye

Dua is nothing, and I mean nothing, but a psychological aid given to us for strengthening our spiritual selves, so that we are better ``equipped`` to solve the problems of the physical world. However, when religions degenerate into lifeless rituals (as has happened with all the great religions of the world, and Islam is no exception), dua merely serves as a tool of self deception for ``escapist muslims``--to borrow from Rozaiba.

Regards.

MY X-DRIVER`S NAME USED BE RAMAZAN................LOLZ