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My father raised me on his own and as a Christian. He
worked hard to teach me Christian values. I read the Bible a lot when I was in
elementary school (I skipped the words I did not know) and noticed there were
some contradictions (i.e. eating pork, Jesus’s death , may the mercy and blessings
of God be upon him, etc.).
When I was twelve I knew I did not really believe in
Christianity anymore, but I did not know what to think. I continued searching
out God and praying to Him for the truth. I sought God a lot and very hard. I
had a lot of questions on my mind: “Everybody, at some time or another, asks
themselves the question: “Why do I exist?” or “For what purpose am I here on Earth?”
The variety and complexity of the intricate systems,
which constitute the fabric of both human beings and the world in which they
exist, indicate that there must have been a Supreme Being who created them. Design
indicates a designer. When human beings come across footprints on a beach,
they immediately conclude that a human had walked by there some time
previously. No one imagines that the waves from the sea settled in the sand and
by chance produced a depression looking exactly like human footprints. Nor do
humans instinctively conclude that they were brought into existence without a
purpose. Since purposeful action is a natural product of human intelligence,
humans conclude that the Supreme Intelligent Being who created them must have
done so for a specific purpose. It is for this reason that human beings need to
know the purpose for their existence in order to make sense of this life and to
do what is ultimately beneficial for them.
When I was nineteen while calling myself a “truth seeker”,
I traveled a lot looking for other cultures and beliefs to satisfy my need for
finding God. I looked into Taoism, Wicca, Buddhism, Rastafarian, Judaism, Free
Masonry, Christianity, Hinduism, Animism, etc. I even looked at one or two
pages about Islam but immediately dismissed it as it did not suit my own
desire. I saw that Muslims worship Allah, and that Muhammad, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him, is their Messenger and that they pray five times
a day.
Five times a day!?
I thought that sounds like too much work; and it could
not possibly be the religion of God, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth!?
By time, I returned to the United States almost twenty one;
I was not satisfied with any of the religions I had looked into. I decided to
attend medical school (which was my dream). I filled out entrance exams and
papers and was accepted at my delight. I took a Greyhound Bus from Michigan and headed to Colorado for college. While I was traveling, I met a young guy who
was sitting behind me for most of the trip. I asked his name and learned he
was Ibrahim from Africa, traveling to college to be an engineer.
We began talking, and he told me he was a Muslim. I
asked him what that was and he explained that Muslims believe there is none
worthy of being worshiped but Allah alone and that Muhammad was the last and
final Prophet of the Abrahamic faiths.
I concluded that Jews were behind on two Prophets: Jesus
and Muhammad; and Christians were behind on one Prophet: Muhammad.
I inquired further into the religion Islam, and he
shared with me a small book of collected prayers (dua and dhikr) that Muslims
make. Inside the first daily remembrance I read was this:
“None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone,
without partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and praise and He is over all
things Omnipotent.”
It was then that I knew Islam was quite possibly what I
had been looking for. I then looked further into the book for more
clarification on who Allah is and focused on these two:
“In the Name of Allah, Who with His Name nothing can
cause harm in the earth nor in the heavens, and He is the All-Hearing, the
All-Knowing.”
“O Allah, whatever blessing has been received by me or
anyone of Your creation is from You alone, You have no partner. All praise is
for you and thanks is to You.”
I then turned to Ibrahim and asked him how I could
become Muslim. He told me to say my Shahadah: La ilaha illa llaah
Muhammadur Rasoolullah (There is no deity that has the right to be
worshiped but Allah alone and Muhammad is His Messenger). And in believing that
and stating it, I became a Muslim right then and there on a Greyhound Bus. So,
after speaking with Ibrahim for fifteen minutes I became a Muslim. This was
about seven years ago. I never went to medical school. I decided to spend my
time learning my new religion and moved to Utah. I met a great many Muslims
there who warmly welcomed me into the community and spent much time teaching me
the religion.
To sum up some of the most important things I have learned
as a Muslim would be this:
·
There has to have been a Creator due to the fact
that there is creation.
·
A proof that there is a God is shown through the
masses; whom all feel the need to worship and do so through the vast amounts of
different religions and beliefs.
·
Otherwise, where would we have ever gotten the idea
from to even worship?
·
If there were more then one god there would be
complete and utter chaos from them arguing amongst themselves.
·
Consequently, every human being is responsible for
belief in God, which is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based on this
inborn belief that Allah defined the purpose of humankind’s creation in Chapter
Adh-Dhariyat (which means):
“I created the jinn and humankind only to worship Me.” (Quran
51:56)
·
The laws that we build our societies upon are a
proof that there must be a Creator for everything and that we are mimicking Him
and His divine laws by creating our own rules and legislation. Unfortunately,
societies often make laws and legislation that are contrary to the divine laws
of God.
Without these laws there would be complete panic and
disorder spread out through the entire world, which would make life very
different from the one we live in and experience.
·
A religion cannot be properly judged by its’
followers but can be properly judged by its’ teachings.
·
Islam is for all of mankind with complete structure
and guidance for every aspect, condition and affliction that mankind ever meets
and suffers with and/or from.
·
Islam cannot be changed and ‘put into a box’ in
regards to how you want to practice it, you must change yourself and your way
of life to meet and fit into Islam.
·
Thus, the essential purpose for which humankind was
created is the worship of God. However, the Almighty is not in need of human
worship. He did not create human beings out of a need on His part.
If not a single human worshiped God, it would not
diminish His Glory in any way, and if all of mankind worshiped Him, it would
not increase His Glory in any way. God is Perfect. He alone exists without
any needs. All created beings have needs. Consequently, it is humankind that
needs to worship God.
- Why do human beings need to worship and glorify God by
obeying the divinely revealed laws? This is because obedience to divine law is
the key to success in this life and the next. The first human beings, Adam and
Eve, were created in paradise and later expelled from paradise for disobeying
the divine law. The only way for human beings to return to paradise is by
obedience to the law.
- Divine laws represent guidance for humankind in all
walks of life. They define right and wrong for them and offer human beings a
complete system governing all of their affairs. The Creator alone knows best
what is beneficial for His creation and what is not.
The divine laws command and prohibit various acts and
substances to protect the human spirit, the human body and human society from
harm. In order for human beings to fulfill their potential by living righteous
lives, they need to worship God through obedience to His commandments.
I am now married with children and am a stay home
mother. I write and illustrate books for children.
I also maintain three websites on the Muslim’s belief,
character, manners and business ethics.
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