(Continued from “Seeking Guidance” on October 19, 2011.) There is no sure-fire way to be 100% certain that we’re making the right decisions. However, there is a way to be confident that we’re heading in the right direction. And it’s not by seeking out signs and omens or consulting tarot cards or fortune-tellers. There is only one source of perfect advice and guidance and that is God. Some people dislike that answer. Either they don’t [...]
I’m not going to lie: I’m having a rough Ramadan. My greatest weakness as a Muslim has been my prayers and it hasn’t stopped being a problem just because it’s Ramadan. I know that not all converts have this problem—some seem to take to Muslim behavior like a duck takes to water—but I can’t help but think that I would be much more faithful in prayer if I had been brought up as a practicing [...]
“You cannot attain to righteousness unless you spend (in charity) out of what you love.” (The Holy Quran 3:92) Roger Davis became a Muslim in prison. Now he has a burden not only for prisoners, but for all people who need a helping hand. And the way he sees it, who better to lend that helping hand than Muslims? Isn’t that what we’re called to do? After all, charity is one of the Five Pillars [...]
I love the meaning of Islam: submission and peace. I love that Islam has no concept of original sin. I love that Eve is not blamed for our fall into sinfulness. I love that Islam is so smart about human nature. I love that the Qur’an is one long letter from God to human beings. I love Islam’s emphasis on moral behavior. I love its emphasis on helping and serving others. I love that women [...]
When you’re young, death is inconceivable. You think you’re going to live forever. But then you keep getting older, and maybe your parents die, and some of your friends, and you realize that you could be next. It’s not a comfortable feeling.
I get that we’re supposed to obey Mohammad. I even understand the value of following his example. And I realize that it’s from the Sunnah that we get our instructions about exactly how to pray. But it seems to me that we have to use both common sense and discrimination when it comes to choosing which ahadith are to be followed.
When I obsess about all the ways that I “fail” as a Muslim, it’s not my faith in Allah that worries me. It’s the missed prayers, the selfish acts, the lost opportunities to fast and the fact that I will probably never perform Hajj that makes me feel judged and found wanting.
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