My questions about Islam

[AgnosticPashtana]

I would make this story short and say I left Islam after I failed to get answers and I would like to learn more and I also hope someone here can help me.

• How do you feel like a creator exists? knowing how many billions year old our galaxy is, could there possibly be a creator? If yes, why? What reasons do you have that helps you stay as a Muslim?
• Why are there so many sects? All I see is a Sufi bashing, Wahabi Bashing and each other denouncing their respective sects. If I do return, which sect do I choose?

I hope someone can assist me. Please no one-liners.

[Maiwand]

Debate: Islam or Atheism? With Hamza Andreas Tzortzis & the president of American Atheists

[Haneef]

Think of space, as a big room, it has to have an end somewhere right? This universe can't be infinite? There has to be an end-point somewhere, are we self contained? How about our creation, the human being, how perfect we are, how everything works perfectLY? This is all by chance? No way...There has to be a creator, and Allah Says in the Quran, do they think they were created out of nothing? (which is scientifically impossible)?

Stick to mainstream Islam, Sufism is not a sect, it's having the inner prophetic character, not doing gheeba, not over indulging in eating, sleeping etc etc. But if you don't want to do that, that's ok too, stick to mainsteam, what you parents did, hanafi school and simply pray and fast and pay ur zakah, that's all you realy need.

[AgnosticPashtana]

Shadow Caster,

The Universe has galaxies, thousands of planets and I can go on, its extremely complex and I don't think this could be controlled by 1 God. Have you researched Astronomy? I have taken advanced level Astronomy courses and just seeing all these galaxies makes me jump back and forth in being an atheist or an agnostic.


Haneef,
But what makes you think there is a creator, what satisfies your innerself when you question your faith? How do you happily admit that a God exists? Don't you think its all fairy tales since most of the Bible stories come from ancient Greek or Egypt?

We can discuss the sects later but I want to know is which one is considered acceptable. How can I know by accepting Islam, am doing the right thing?

[Mujib]

Dear sister, there are objective proofs of God's existence and Islam's truth and there are personal proofs.

In simple terms, the objective proofs are that the universe must have a creator and that creator must be greater than his creation. The objective proofs of the Prophet Muhammad's (Allah bless him and give him peace) prophethood are his miracles the reports of which are mass transmitted such that they cannot be lies. There are also proofs in his very conduct and character, and in the power and impact of his message.

Personal proofs are different for every individual. One feels in one's heart that God exists. One has experiences that affirm His existence. And the truth of Islam is felt in the peace and harmony it brings about in one's life and in society. One sees how Islam perfects the life of one who truly follows it and the life of the society that truly follows it. The miraculous month of Ramadan is a month when these manifestations are most evident. Peace and tranquility reign in the mosques, the streets, the homes, and in the hearts of individual Muslims.

We here are laymen and our answers reflect that. I advise you to send your questions to the scholars at SunniPath.com or SeekersGuidance.org. Also listen to The Coherence of Islam which is a set of talks by Shaykh Nuh Keller that answer the points you've raised.

May God grant you success and happiness.

[Baygham]

whats weeni mean?
do u sayet in pashtu
blood ?

you pee with your weeni

[Fahd]

i don't understand u????

[Wrayun]

AgnosticPashtana;

How do you feel like a creator exists? knowing how many billions year old our galaxy is, could there possibly be a creator? If yes, why? What reasons do you have that helps you stay as a Muslim?

One would argue that it is the very complex nature of the universe and creation as a whole that makes them wonder if a creator exists. If the galaxy or the universe is very old, and very complex, it thus begs to question where did it come from, and if such complex existence can come about itself. Forget about the universe, the science required to create a single living cell out of nothing is unfathomable for scientists. What they can possibly do is take existing DNA, and manipulate it to create synthetic cells.

There is a generally accepted belief that this universe had a beginning (the big bang), so one must ask where did the big bang come from and what caused it. Currently there are not that many explanations, and the ones they have are far more confusing then anything. One explanation is that when two universes collide the point of impact creates another universe i.e. the big bang. Well...how were the two initial universes made...and how did the universes that caused them came into existing? So it goes on and on and on. But that's hardly an answer.

Again, if the belief in God is man made, so is the belief in no God, and if the theory of creation of religion is man made, so is the theory of creation in science. Why subscribe to one man made belief and not the other? We then argue that the scientific reasoning differs from religion because it does not require faith, but empirical evidence. Yet there is no such evidence that leads one to believe that a Creator doesn't exist. All evidence so far suggests that this universe is very complex, intricate and convoluted. The argument then follows that the proof of burden on the existence of God falls on the believers, but the believers proof is this very existence. Thus the proof of Gods nonexistence falls on the nonbelievers by providing an explanation for this existence without a God/Creator.

So, why atheism has grown in the West? Most Westerners come from the Christian background, and it is easy to disprove Christ as the Lord and Savior of humanity using the very Bible that is used to spread this message. There is plenty in the Bible that does the job without having to resort to other means. Once you are successful in proving that Jesus can't be God using the very Bible, most Christians automatically become atheists. However the Bible can't be used to disprove God, but only the divinity of Christ. And that is done by exposing all the Egyptians, Greek etc. myths later associated with Christ by the Romans who made him out to be a divine entity.

Unfortunately, when discussing God, most people in the West apply their Judo-Christo concept of God to the over all debate of a Creator. They simply think that God is this Caucasian man, sitting in the cloud, butt naked, with a big beard, playing touch fingers with Michelangelo. They apply this very limited and narrow understanding of God to every other belief. This is why most are surprised when they learn that Muslims don't worship some bedioun name Mohammad, and that the concept of God in Islam is far more universal, broad and fine than what God is made out to be in other religions. Even Jewish scholars testify to this about Islam, what is known as the concept of Tawheed (the uniqueness and oneness of the Creator). God is nothing like His creation, and non amongst His creation resembles Him. Where in Christianity, God supposedly created us in His image.

Many people who try to stress the nonexistence of God also try to see if they themselves can be convinced otherwise. In my personal case it was me trying to see if I could be convinced in God's nonexistence. I wasn't and haven't. There are some tough subjects, but most are explainable...some not even requiring any in-depth knowledge of religion. Others, you have to leave on faith. But I haven't come across any concrete reasoning or logic that can convince me. Though thats just me..... Some people need a personal God to be convinced of a Creators existence, others need more than subjective contradictions to disprove Gods nonexistence.

Why Muslim? Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am born a Muslim i.e. to Muslim parents, amongst a Muslim people, to a Muslim nation. But in my study of other beliefs I didn't find anything that was impressing enough to attract my attention. Islam itself is a very broad religion (no matter what others tell you). My personal spiritual needs are satisfied by it's teaching. It is a universal religion, and a unifying one. In Islam God is universal, and the authenticity of the Message (Quran) is consistent. The religion is over all a comprehensive one from which you can arrive teachings that affects all aspects of human life: family, friends, politics, economics, society etc. The meaning of a Muslim is universal, one that submits to God i.e. believes in a Creator. Naturally we all do, no matter where we are born or which region we come from. We are all born Muslims (as Islam teaches). Islam testifies on the behalf of previous messengers and teachers, and solidifies all other beliefs into the one and same religion, by proclaiming that the same God has been sending various messengers at different times for different people with the same message.

I don't think any other religion claims such (except Bahai, a rip-off Islam).

Why are there so many sects? All I see is a Sufi bashing, Wahabi Bashing and each other denouncing their respective sects. If I do return, which sect do I choose?

This is what it says in the Quran:

[6:159] Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allah ; then He will inform them about what they used to do.

Your answer is, you choose none. You are commanded by God in His message.

I like the spirituality in Sufism, and consistency in Wahabi/Salafism. But I don't worship men or graves, and I don't do takfirrs on other Muslims.

Common sense.

ps, I replied because you PM'd. Usually I would ignore such topics....because spirituality is a personal matter. No one can convince you of anything, it's all up to the individual. Try not to come up with rebuttals right away after reading it, but understand where I'm coming from. You don't have to agree with anything.

[Dust]

Wrayun, you should post more.

You are right in your assessment.

It is nice to hear that you have a touch of both Sufism and Salafism.

I think you need to understand the literal and metaphoric meaning of everything.

[AgnosticPashtana]

Wrayun,

So what is the proper way of following Islam? What I mean is do all sects go to heaven, do I have a choice in chosing? I have been reading thousands of posts here in the past few months and a lot of my misconceptions have been cleared up by you but this is just a question that was on my mind.

Compared to other major Religions, how is Islam any different? What makes Islam any better?


Ill be waiting.

[شمله ور خراساني]

Wrayun,

So what is the proper way of following Islam? What I mean is do all sects go to heaven, do I have a choice in chosing? I have been reading thousands of posts here in the past few months and a lot of my misconceptions have been cleared up by you but this is just a question that was on my mind.

Compared to other major Religions, how is Islam any different? What makes Islam any better?


Ill be waiting.

Quran was revealed in 23 years. During those 23 years, there were no sects.

Sects are man made. People have divided themselves into different sects.

Therefore, if you want to be come a muslim, or even if you dont want to become one, you should ignore the sectarian debates. Because sectarian debates and arguments among muslims are not about religion. But people.

Its about what people do.

So for you to understand Islam, the best way to do that is to learn about Islam from the era before sects emerged. To be specific, the era before the death of prophet muhammad sal allahu alayhi wasallam.

I advice you to purchase a few good books written about the life of the prophet muhammad, his experiences and his trials.

When you learn more about the personality of the prophet muhammad, you will understand Islam better. Because he is the role model for all Muslims.

So dont judge Islam based on what Muslims do and say. You dont know what the motives are of the people you see arguing about sectarian issues.

[Khan Gul]

AgnosticPashtana;




One would argue that it is the very complex nature of the universe and creation as a whole that makes them wonder if a creator exists. If the galaxy or the universe is very old, and very complex, it thus begs to question where did it come from, and if such complex existence can come about itself. Forget about the universe, the science required to create a single living cell out of nothing is unfathomable for scientists. What they can possibly do is take existing DNA, and manipulate it to create synthetic cells.

There is a generally accepted belief that this universe had a beginning (the big bang), so one must ask where did the big bang come from and what caused it. Currently there are not that many explanations, and the ones they have are far more confusing then anything. One explanation is that when two universes collide the point of impact creates another universe i.e. the big bang. Well...how were the two initial universes made...and how did the universes that caused them came into existing? So it goes on and on and on. But that's hardly an answer.

Again, if the belief in God is man made, so is the belief in no God, and if the theory of creation of religion is man made, so is the theory of creation in science. Why subscribe to one man made belief and not the other? We then argue that the scientific reasoning differs from religion because it does not require faith, but empirical evidence. Yet there is no such evidence that leads one to believe that a Creator doesn't exist. All evidence so far suggests that this universe is very complex, intricate and convoluted. The argument then follows that the proof of burden on the existence of God falls on the believers, but the believers proof is this very existence. Thus the proof of Gods nonexistence falls on the nonbelievers by providing an explanation for this existence without a God/Creator.

So, why atheism has grown in the West? Most Westerners come from the Christian background, and it is easy to disprove Christ as the Lord and Savior of humanity using the very Bible that is used to spread this message. There is plenty in the Bible that does the job without having to resort to other means. Once you are successful in proving that Jesus can't be God using the very Bible, most Christians automatically become atheists. However the Bible can't be used to disprove God, but only the divinity of Christ. And that is done by exposing all the Egyptians, Greek etc. myths later associated with Christ by the Romans who made him out to be a divine entity.

Unfortunately, when discussing God, most people in the West apply their Judo-Christo concept of God to the over all debate of a Creator. They simply think that God is this Caucasian man, sitting in the cloud, butt naked, with a big beard, playing touch fingers with Michelangelo. They apply this very limited and narrow understanding of God to every other belief. This is why most are surprised when they learn that Muslims don't worship some bedioun name Mohammad, and that the concept of God in Islam is far more universal, broad and fine than what God is made out to be in other religions. Even Jewish scholars testify to this about Islam, what is known as the concept of Tawheed (the uniqueness and oneness of the Creator). God is nothing like His creation, and non amongst His creation resembles Him. Where in Christianity, God supposedly created us in His image.

Many people who try to stress the nonexistence of God also try to see if they themselves can be convinced otherwise. In my personal case it was me trying to see if I could be convinced in God's nonexistence. I wasn't and haven't. There are some tough subjects, but most are explainable...some not even requiring any in-depth knowledge of religion. Others, you have to leave on faith. But I haven't come across any concrete reasoning or logic that can convince me. Though thats just me..... Some people need a personal God to be convinced of a Creators existence, others need more than subjective contradictions to disprove Gods nonexistence.

Why Muslim? Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am born a Muslim i.e. to Muslim parents, amongst a Muslim people, to a Muslim nation. But in my study of other beliefs I didn't find anything that was impressing enough to attract my attention. Islam itself is a very broad religion (no matter what others tell you). My personal spiritual needs are satisfied by it's teaching. It is a universal religion, and a unifying one. In Islam God is universal, and the authenticity of the Message (Quran) is consistent. The religion is over all a comprehensive one from which you can arrive teachings that affects all aspects of human life: family, friends, politics, economics, society etc. The meaning of a Muslim is universal, one that submits to God i.e. believes in a Creator. Naturally we all do, no matter where we are born or which region we come from. We are all born Muslims (as Islam teaches). Islam testifies on the behalf of previous messengers and teachers, and solidifies all other beliefs into the one and same religion, by proclaiming that the same God has been sending various messengers at different times for different people with the same message.

I don't think any other religion claims such (except Bahai, a rip-off Islam).



This is what it says in the Quran:

[6:159] Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allah ; then He will inform them about what they used to do.

Your answer is, you choose none. You are commanded by God in His message.

I like the spirituality in Sufism, and consistency in Wahabi/Salafism. But I don't worship men or graves, and I don't do takfirrs on other Muslims.

Common sense.

ps, I replied because you PM'd. Usually I would ignore such topics....because spirituality is a personal matter. No one can convince you of anything, it's all up to the individual. Try not to come up with rebuttals right away after reading it, but understand where I'm coming from. You don't have to agree with anything.

As I ponder on the meaning of this post, I come to a conclusion that it is not difficult for any conscientious men of understanding that it is an answer: an answer so decisive that puts an end to all arguments without any doubt.

Thank you Wrayun!

[Wardak2010]

I would make this story short and say I left Islam after I failed to get answers and I would like to learn more and I also hope someone here can help me.

• How do you feel like a creator exists? knowing how many billions year old our galaxy is, could there possibly be a creator? If yes, why? What reasons do you have that helps you stay as a Muslim?
• Why are there so many sects? All I see is a Sufi bashing, Wahabi Bashing and each other denouncing their respective sects. If I do return, which sect do I choose?

I hope someone can assist me. Please no one-liners.

Those are classic questions that were asked of other religions. I am sure you can find answers on an a Scholarly Islamic website, but I can answer them in a sentence or two and simple.

1) No one knows for sure how old the galaxy is, those are estimates. Even those guys don't know how the world was created, the big bang theory? It's just a theory, with little evidence. Did the world expand from one atom? Maybe, but little evidence. But remember they can't answer why there was a massive explosion once and created our galaxy but another hasn't happened and when another will happen to destroy our galaxy? See there's the religious side to life, there's the physicists one, and then there's the evolution one. You just gotta believe one, as each has some evidence. Some Islamic scholars claim that Islam supports all 3 theories and have combined it into one, which is Islam. They say (mostly from Quran) that God created the universe in a perfect motion, and that life started in the ocean (this is from the Quran; evolution teaches life started in water, fungus, then fish and so on), and then God revealed Islam to humans. The Quran has some things tht scientists didn't figure out till 1500's. How is that possible eh? But like I said, faith is something you either believe in it or you don't. God today you can't prove or disprove. You just gotta believe in it or you don't.

2)In every religion, philosophy, political system, or whatever, some people aren't gonna like one or two things and they will split and create a system that they more likely can relate to. There are Sufis because they like the Sufi way. There are Shias because either they grew up with or they like that way. Just as there are different theories around the world, everyone will choose something that they like. And it's natural to bash someone or some idea that you don't like. Even scientists do it. Chemists bashing Biologists.

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

.

[Wrayun]

^Had to jump in and spoil the fun my lil flirtatious blue Krishna? Don't be jelly bro. I think she intended this thread for us muzziez only.