He knows ...

It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth. He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will all return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts.

-Qur'an (64:2-4)

Answers to Life ...

Chaim Gravitzer said...
I am a hassidic Jew. I am dissatisfied with my life. I would like to speak to a Muslim clergyman in person. Could you help arrange this? I am having all comments left on this post forwarded to me, so you can contact me by leaving a comment here. If you are able to see my e-mail address, then please e-mail me directly. Thank you very much. I hope to hear from you.

Chaim, I'll do what I can to assist you. Please email me at askamuslimnow@gmail.com and we'll see what we can't come up with together.

In the mean time, I am sorry to hear you're dissatisfied with your life. We all have difficult periods in life. It is the Islamic view that life on Earth is nothing but a test. This philosphy usually helps remind me that its not all fun and games and things here are not supposed to always be easy. God tests all of us and we can only hope and pray that we're doing a good enough job to pass this LONG exam called life.

You might speak with an Imam and decide that Judiasm or your faith in general is not what is making you unhappy, but rather something else. Whatever you find on your quest might actually uphold or restore your faith in your current religion. OR you might find that you've been looking for something else all along.

As a Muslim, I am always happy to have people "come" to Islam but as I've quoted before:

Qur'an (2:256) "There is no compulsion in religion, for the right way is clear from the wrong way. Whoever therefore rejects the forces of evil and believes in God, he has taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way, for God is All Hearing and Knowing."

I encourage you to find your own path ... whatever that might be. Here is another, hopefully, encouraging quote:

Once Ibrahim bin Adham saw a stone with the inscription, "Turn me over and read!" When he did an inscription appeared: "You do not practice what you know. Why do you seek what you do not know?"
-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"

As difficult as things might seem for you at the moment, please remind yourself that at the very least you are asking questions and "... [seeking] what you do not know."

All the best, my brother.

Happy Mother's Day!

We have ordained humankind to show kindness toward their parents, for in pain their mothers carry them and in pain do they give birth. In thirty months they bear and wean; thus when they attain maturity they may pray, "Lord, inspire us that we may be thankful for the blessings You bestowed upon us and our parents. Kindle within us the desire to do what is upright and pleasing to You. Grant us righteous offspring, Lord. Verily, we turn to You in repentance, surrendering ourselves in earnest."

-Qur'an, Al-Ahqaf, (46:15)

A Hadith

When the Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) was asked by a man, "Who should we respect the most?" The Prophet answered, "Your mother."  

"And next?" the man asked.  

"Your mother."

"And next?" the man asked.

"Your mother."

"And next?" the man asked, again.

"Your mother." The Prophet answered, again.

"And next?" 

"Your father."  

This hadith not only shows how women are respected in Islam, but how highly the title "mother" is honored.  A bond between a mother and child is like no other on Earth.  Respect, honor, and love it.  Be sure to thank the woman who gave you the gift of life and raised you well today.  For it is their lessons that you will pass on to your own offspring.

Love you, mom.  =)

Try to be like "The Spirit of Truth" (pbuh)

Believers, uphold justice. Always bear true witness, even if it be against yourself, your parents, or your relatives—and regardless of whether the person against whom you are speaking is rich or poor. God is close to people regardless of their material circumstances. Do not be led by emotion, as this may cause you to swerve from the truth. If you distort your testimony, or refuse to testify, remember that God is aware of all your actions.

-Qur'an, An-Nisa, (4:135)

Experience life ... realize that you'll always be on a path towards and ending ... take time to reflect on you're choices ... learn from your mistakes ... perspective is important for everything in life is relative ... TRUTH is everything.

Being Better than the Majority ...

... doesn't make you the best or even make you safe. All too often, we get caught up in that "well at least I'm not that bad" or "at least I'm better than them" when it comes to how we act or how much or how little we practice our faiths. The thing is, we forget to look at all those people who are BETTER than us and learn to aspire to that level. Just a friendly reminder and I remind myself before anyone else that we can always do a better job of practicing.

"If you follow the greater majority on earth they would lead you astray. They follow nothing but the conjectures of others and mislead those who follow them. Your Lord knows best who stray from the path of Truth; He knows best who are rightly guided."

-Qur'an, Al-An'am, (6:117-18)

Islam is NOT a religion ...

... that preaches violence and the Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) was not a man that advocated for war and blood shed.  These are stereotypes passed along, virally and hatefully, to the masses.  Do not believe the words of the ignorant, fear-mongers.  Please read books and make up your own mind. 

"The strong man is not the good wrestler; the strong man is only the one who controls himself when he is angry."

-Prophet Muhammad, from Sayings of Muhammad by Prof. Ghazi Ahmad

Sharing Words ...

A group of religious leaders came to Rabi'a. She asked one of them: 'Why do you worship the Lord?' He replied: 'There are seven levels of hell, which I regard with great fear and dread; I wish to avoid passing through them.' She asked another man the same question. He replied: 'There are many levels of paradise, where there is much joy; I wish to dwell in one of the levels.' Rabi'a said: 'It is wrong to worship God from fear of punishment, or from hope of reward.'

-Attar, "Rabi'a"

Knowledge is the spirit that saves the heart from the death of ignorance; it is the light that saves it from the darkness of iniquity. The hearts of the iniquitous are dead because they are oblivious to God, and the hearts of the heedless are sick because they ignore His commandments.

-Abu Ali Thaqafi, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"