Hamza B.
Pro
The primary message of Islam is the message of all the prophets….That there is only One God worthy of worship. That means worshiping the Creator not the creation. That means no praying to prophets, saints, trees, statues, stones, etc. Islam is about strict monotheism (Tawhid). In Islam, unlike modern pop Christianity, we believe in God's Wrath. However, we believe that God's Mercy outweighs His Wrath, and that he is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Islam is universal. We believe all men and women are children of Adam and Eve, and that Shaytan is mankind's sworn enemy. He will try to divide humanity and separate our hearts in any way that he can until the Day of Judgement.
The concept of Jihad is largely misunderstood, but it means "struggle" and there our two types…The Greater Jihad which is the inner struggle against evil in your own heart (temptations, anger, laziness, lust, greed, etc.). Then there is the Lesser Jihad which is actual fighting. This has been twisted to be equated with terrorism/killing of innocents, but Islam does not sanction this. True Jihad has many rules and conditions that need to be met, and what groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda do is not righteous or Islamic. That is why all the learned Muslim clerics all over the world have denounced those extremist groups and their evil tactics. They are essentially run by gangsters and criminals who are ignorant of Islam's teachings. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) fought battles on the battlefield, and never condoned treachery or targeting non-combatants.
There are 6 Foundations of Iman (Faith) in Islam:
1. Belief in God
2. Belief in His Prophets (There were over 100,000 prophets sent to all nations, most of which have been forgotten or had their message distorted over time. Their message was the same though: La illaha il Allah- "There is no deity worthy of worship but God.")
3. Belief in the Books sent by God (Some of these mentioned in the Qur'an were the Torah, The Psalms, and the Gospel. All of them were distorted by man over the years. The only book to remain unchanged is the Qur'an.)
4. Belief in the Angels
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement
6. Belief in the Qadr of Allah (This is the belief that anything that happens is God's Will and there is no way it could have been averted. As Muslims, we have an opportunity to get blessings in both the good and bad, by being patient and trusting in God when something bad happens to us, and being grateful and thanking God when something good happens to us.)
I would recommend that you just continue to sincerely ask God to guide you to the truth, and keep your heart open. If you take one step towards Allah, He will take two steps toward you. If you walk towards Him, He will run to you. If you really want to learn, just go to your local mosque and ask some questions or just observe Friday prayer. See if you can get a free copy of the Qur'an and read it yourself. Don't get too swept away by the current political situation and sectarian disputes going on right now, and be careful of the Youtube rabbit hole of extremism and ignorance. The Deen is simple. Ignorant men have complicated it. Check out the vids below when you get a chance.
Here is a chapter of The Literal Word of God, The Noble Qur'an recited with English meaning. (Note: The royal "We" is a common device in Semitic languages to indicate grandeur, and is not a plural form…similar to "Elohim" used in the Hebrew Bible.):
Peace/Salaam. May God guide you and straighten your affairs.
Islam is universal. We believe all men and women are children of Adam and Eve, and that Shaytan is mankind's sworn enemy. He will try to divide humanity and separate our hearts in any way that he can until the Day of Judgement.
The concept of Jihad is largely misunderstood, but it means "struggle" and there our two types…The Greater Jihad which is the inner struggle against evil in your own heart (temptations, anger, laziness, lust, greed, etc.). Then there is the Lesser Jihad which is actual fighting. This has been twisted to be equated with terrorism/killing of innocents, but Islam does not sanction this. True Jihad has many rules and conditions that need to be met, and what groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda do is not righteous or Islamic. That is why all the learned Muslim clerics all over the world have denounced those extremist groups and their evil tactics. They are essentially run by gangsters and criminals who are ignorant of Islam's teachings. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) fought battles on the battlefield, and never condoned treachery or targeting non-combatants.
There are 6 Foundations of Iman (Faith) in Islam:
1. Belief in God
2. Belief in His Prophets (There were over 100,000 prophets sent to all nations, most of which have been forgotten or had their message distorted over time. Their message was the same though: La illaha il Allah- "There is no deity worthy of worship but God.")
3. Belief in the Books sent by God (Some of these mentioned in the Qur'an were the Torah, The Psalms, and the Gospel. All of them were distorted by man over the years. The only book to remain unchanged is the Qur'an.)
4. Belief in the Angels
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement
6. Belief in the Qadr of Allah (This is the belief that anything that happens is God's Will and there is no way it could have been averted. As Muslims, we have an opportunity to get blessings in both the good and bad, by being patient and trusting in God when something bad happens to us, and being grateful and thanking God when something good happens to us.)
I would recommend that you just continue to sincerely ask God to guide you to the truth, and keep your heart open. If you take one step towards Allah, He will take two steps toward you. If you walk towards Him, He will run to you. If you really want to learn, just go to your local mosque and ask some questions or just observe Friday prayer. See if you can get a free copy of the Qur'an and read it yourself. Don't get too swept away by the current political situation and sectarian disputes going on right now, and be careful of the Youtube rabbit hole of extremism and ignorance. The Deen is simple. Ignorant men have complicated it. Check out the vids below when you get a chance.
Here is a chapter of The Literal Word of God, The Noble Qur'an recited with English meaning. (Note: The royal "We" is a common device in Semitic languages to indicate grandeur, and is not a plural form…similar to "Elohim" used in the Hebrew Bible.):
Peace/Salaam. May God guide you and straighten your affairs.
