#Convert

[everyday-quote]

It’s not allowed for anyone to lose hope in Allah’s Mercy, even if his sins are very great. 

Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimullah)

[sapphosremains]

Side A Roman Catholics - question from a potential convert.

How do you deal with confession and taking communion? Say I am lucky enough to end up married to a woman, and personally do not view that intimate relationship as sinful. Technically speaking, I would have to confess that, right? But then I would be confessing that so regularly, and that's not the point of confession. Or I don't confess it, and then enter into another grave sin by deliberately withholding a sin? And then I'm taking communion in mortal sin? Or I can't take communion at all? I really, really want to take communion.

I want to be Catholic more than anything, I really believe it's the right thing for me. However, I don't want to be a bad one! I want to be good and I want to do my best, and I don't know how to reconcile these things.

Advice very much appreciated!!

[xclowniex]

Okay so I've noticed that every convert I know used to be catholic so I'm curious to see if it's just a coincidence or if there is a catholic to jewish pipeline.

Please only vote if you've either converted to Judaism or are in the process of converting.

Please reblog to increase sample size

[riyad-as-salihin]

Riyad as-Salihin, The Book of the Prohibited actions, Book 17, Hadith 8

Chapter: The Prohibition of Backbiting and the Commandment of Guarding one's Tongue

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do not indulge in excessive talk except when remembering Allah. Excessive talking without the Remembrance of Allah hardens the heart; and those who are the farthest from Allah are those whose hearts are hard."

[At-Tirmidhi]

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Quddoos— The Most Pure, The All-Perfect— on two occasions in the Quran. He is the One who is the absolutely pure in essence and attributes. Al-Quddoos is free from and far above any worldly imperfection, and He is beyond all human understanding of purity and perfection!

The Most Pure, the All-Perfect

Quddoos comes from the root qaaf-daal-seen, which points to three main meanings. The first main meaning is to be pure and clean. The second is to be far removed from impurity or imperfection, and the third main meaning is to be sacred or blessed.

This root appears ten times in the Quran in five derived forms. Examples of these forms are al-qudusi (“the Holy [spirit]”) and al-muqadasi (“the sacred”).

Linguistically, quddoos is on the intense structure of the attribute of quds, which refers to cleanliness or tahaarah and comes from the verb qadasa. Al-Quddoos is ‘clean’ or free from any partner, spouse, or child, from death, from injustice, lying, forgetfulness, error, poverty, and stinginess. Laa ilaaha illa huwa– there is no God but He.

Al-Quddoos Himself says: He is Allah , other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure … [Quran, 59:23] Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is exalting Allah, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. [Quran, 62:1]

Subhanallah and alhamdulillah

They said, ‘Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?’ [Quran, 2:30]. The angels glorify and praise Allah al-Quddoos continuously and so does the whole universe. Al-Quddoos created us human beings to worship, glorify, and praise Him as He gave us something different: our hearts.
Using the human heart to reflect on His creations, His perfection and greatness, it realizes that glorification and praise of the Creator is inevitable. So we praise and thank Al-Quddoos (alhamdulillah) and glorify Him (subhanAllah) as He is high above anything that does not befit Him. Isn’t it a blessing to have such a perfect lord, and aren’t we blessed to be able to praise Him?

How can you live by this name?

1.Have a pure belief in Al-Quddoos.
Believe in the oneness of Al-Quddoos and make sure your creed (or aqeedah) is pure by studying the types of tawheed and their practical meanings in your daily life from trustworthy sources, like Kitaab ut -Tawheed (The Book of Tawheed) by ibn Abd Al-Wahhab.

2. Praise Al-Quddoos.
Say alhamdulilah and subhanAllah from the bottom of your heart. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam used to say in his prayer while in the bowing position (ruku): subboohun quddoosun Rabbul-malaa’ikati war-rooh (praise and Holiness be to You, Lord of the angels and the Soul). [Muslim] You can add this beautiful invocation to enhance your prayer.

3. Purify yourself through prayer.
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked the companions: If someone bathes in a river outside of his house five times a day, will there be any impurity left on him? [Muslim] Visualize your prayer as cleansing your body and soul. Your prayer also protects you: indeed the prayer prevents from the indecency and evil. [Quran, 29:45]

4. Give the best sadaqah.
Give zakah (obligatory) and sadaqah (charity) to “purify” and increase your wealth. Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase. [Quran 9:103] Remind yourself when you give sadaqah to give the best, as Allah is Al-Quddoos and He deserves the best to be given for His sake. Aishah radiyalahu anha used to perfume the charity she gave!

5. Don’t be unjust.
Allah does not wrong a person even to the amount of an atom’s weight [Quran 4:40]. Even if people do dhulm (injustice) to Him, Al-Quddoos never does injustice to people. Allah ‘azza wa jall also made injustice and oppression forbidden for you; so don’t be unjust to anyone, family or stranger, child, adult or even to animals.

6. Be clean.
Be clean inside and out and strive to purify and keep renewing your intentions when you do a good deed. Be thoughtful with your wudu; do your best to not only keep your belongings and house clean, but also your environment by not throwing litter and by removing harmful objects. Consume healthy and permissable food and drink— bought with halaal earnings— and teach children this way of living.

7. Let the Quran purify you.
And who is more truthful than Allah in speech? [Quran, 4:122] The speech of Al-Quddoos is pure and is a cure, healing, and guidance for you to purify yourself. So turn to the Quran to seek cure from the diseases of your heart, let the ayaat help you to improve your character, and recite the Quran daily to clean your heart and bring tranquillity to your body.

8. Ask Al-Quddoos.
The Prophet salallahu’ alayhi wa sallam used to ask Al-Quddoos at the beginning of prayer:
اللهم باعد بيني وبين خطاياي كما باعدت بين المشرق والمغرب اللهم نقني من خطاياي كما ينقى الثوب الأبيض من الدنس اللهم اغسلني من خطاياي بالثلج والماء والب
O Allah, distance me from my sins just as You have distanced The East from The West, O Allah, purify me of my sins as a white robe is purified of filth, O Allah, cleanse me of my sins with snow, water, and ice. [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] Use and reflect on this supplication as it contains all forms of purification: distancing (moving far away from dirt and deficiencies), removing dirt or filth, and washing or cleansing, so no impurity remains at the end.

O Allah, Al-Quddoos, we know that You are the absolutely pure beyond imagination. Lead us to a sound belief in Your oneness, help us in purifying our hearts, deeds, and intentions, and guide us to purify our bodies and keep our environment clean. Aid us in performing the best salah, giving the best charity, and helping us to turn to the Quran so we can come to You with a pure heart, ameen!

[basicsofislam]

BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting: Laylat al-Qadr

This night is the year’s most virtuous night. God says:

We revealed it (the Qur’an) on the Night of Power [Laylat al-Qadr]. What will tell you what the Night of Power is? It is better than a thousand months. (97:1-3)

For example, any action therein (e.g., reciting the Qur’an, remembering God, performing prayer, coming together to study an Islamic subject, giving charity, etc.) brings as much reward as would doing the same action for 1,000 months that do not contain this night.

It is preferred to seek this night during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, as the Prophet, upon whom be peace, strove his best to seek it during that time. For example, he would stay up during the last 10 nights, wake his wives, and then stay apart from them in order to worship. However, according to Abu Hanifa, any night during the year may be the Night of Power (Canan, ibid., 1:260), and so Muslims should keep vigils for some time every night in order to catch it. Such night vigils have a special importance.

Al-Bukhari records from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger, upon whom be peace, said:

“Whoever prays during the Night of Power with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his or her previous sins forgiven.” (Bukhari, “Fadl Laylat al-Qadr”)

[everydaydua]

Dua between the two prostrations (between the two sajdah) #2

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاجْبُرْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي

Translation

O Allah, forgive me, have mercy upon me, give me strength, guide me, give and grant me sustenance.

Transliteration

allaahumm-agh-fir lee, warḥamnee, wajburnee, wahdinee, warzuqnee.

Sources: Muslim No# 2696, 2697; Abu Dawud No# 850; At-Tirmidhi No# 284, 3476, 3496; Ibn Majah No# 3845

[writingwithcolor]

Would it be problematic for me to have a black girl convert to sikhi over the course of the story with the assistance of her Sikh friend & the friend’s family and then get married to said friend in the future? I don’t want it to seem like she did it simply to be with her friend so I thought that maybe if I showed how she enjoys hearing things about the religion (for example how sikhi emphasizes treating everyone equally and also the protection of those facing injustice) from her friend that it could seem more natural but could that be seen as fetishizing? The black girl has been friends with the family for 10+ years (aka since she was 8) and also wasn’t raised following any religion (but not as an atheist either) so I feel the conversion would be somewhat easy for her but if any of what I’ve wrote is problematic I’ll change it! I’m still doing research so if I messed anything up I’m extremely sorry. Thank you in advance!

Black woman converts to become Sikh - Is this problematic?

If SK thinks these circumstances are okay from the Sikhism standpoint, then absolutely it is fine. Black people are all individual and different people throughout the diaspora. We are not some collective monolith with a build-in set of interests, beliefs and rules on what we can and cannot do! The real question to me is if someone can convert to Sikhism and if so, how being Black factors into the lifestyle.

On that note, I will hand the mic to SK and also welcome Black Sikh followers to chime in.

-Colette

Sikhi accept converts

Short answer: No, it is not problematic. Sikhi accepts converts. There’s nothing wrong with being drawn to a faith because of certain aspects and then looking deeper and choosing to convert.

Longer answer: Conversion into a completely new faith is rarely easy. I would say Sikhi is a harder faith to convert to because there are few resources in other languages and many Sikhs are unaccustomed to converts. As in most, if not all, religions, there is a gap between what is said and how it’s practiced.

Despite the messages about fighting injustice and treating others equally, many Sikh converts, especially Black Sikhs, deal with prejudice. This is not even unique to converts - Afghan & Kashmiri Sikhs have also faced ignorant comments from Punjabi Sikhs who aren’t aware of Sikh communities outside Punjab. The 1980’s-1990’s Sikh genocide disconnected many Sikhs in Punjab from the revolutionary messages of justice and equality laid out in Sikh holy texts.

A challenge unique to Black Sikhs is that the way kesdhari Sikhs take care of their hair and tie it in turbans can be a challenge for someone with Black hair. I would recommend Gurpreet Kaur’s writing.

Resources

Being Black & Sikh

Articles by Gurpreet Kaur

I would also suggest checking out The Black Sikh Collective on Tumblr, Instagram & Facebook for more perspectives of Black Sikhs.

-SK If this answer was helpful, SK accepts tips here: https://ko-fi.com/skaur | Venmo & Cashapp: skaur1699

[sunanannasai]

Sunan an Nasa’i: The Book of Zakah, Book 23, Hadith 2555

It was narrated that Harithah said:

"I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Give charity, for there will come a time when a man will walk about with his charity, and the one to whom he wants to give it will say: If you had brought it yesterday I would have accepted it, but today (I have no need of it)."

[everyday-quote]

If you do good in secret, Allah will shower His good on you in public. 

Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimullah)

[daily-hadith]

Daily Hadith

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri (Radi-Allahu 'anhu):

The Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said, 'Beware! Avoid sitting  on the roads." They (the people) said, "O Allah s Apostle! We can't help  sitting (on the roads) as these are (our places) here we have talks."  The Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said, ' lf you refuse but to  sit, then pay the road its right ' They said, "What is the right of the  road, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, 'Lowering your gaze, refraining from  harming others, returning greeting, and enjoining what is good, and  forbidding what is evil."

Bukhari Vol. 8 : No. 248

[toxictoxicities]

Stop making Trafficlight so cute! I’m melting! I SWEAR I’m slowly converting (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

I love how they interact so much. When they work on projects they're both contributing something meaningful to improve the product and achieve the best possible outcomes

Screenshot from this vid, it's fucken golden

[something-baneful]

Becoming religious again after religious trauma is such a weird experience.

I spent years saying I was an atheist because I lived through religious trauma that taught me that religion meant isolation and distrust in yourself. Obedience and submission.

And then I became Pagan and everything changed. I was suddenly praying again. I felt uplifted and confident in myself. I felt heard when I prayed and started reading sermons weekly on online temples. I brought prayer beads and used them. I made a pocket altar and used it multiple times a week.

I felt connected to myself again.

I feel loved and free.

Sometimes religion isn't the problem, but what religion you choose to follow.

Religion can be beautiful. ♡

[riyad-as-salihin]

Riyad as-Salihin, The Book of the Prohibited actions, Book 17, Hadith 11

Chapter: The Prohibition of Backbiting and the Commandment of Guarding one's Tongue

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When the son of Adam gets up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: 'Fear Allah for our sake because we are with you: (i.e., we will be rewarded or punished as a result of what you do) if you are straight, we will be straight; and if you are crooked, we will become crooked."'

[At- Tirmidhi].

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Faatir— The Originator, The Creator, the Initiator— on six occasions in the Quran. He is the One who initiates and creates. Al-Faatir is the one who starts and finishes the complete creation with perfection!

The Initiator, the Creator and Originator

Faatir comes from the root faa-Taa-raa which points to three main meanings. The first main meaning is to initiate and start and the second is to create. The third main meaning is to break apart or cleft asunder.

This root appears 20 times in the Quran in six derived forms. Examples of these forms are faTara (“He has created”), infaTarat (“is cleft asunder”), fuToorin (“flaw”) and munfaTirun (“will break apart”).

Linguistically, fatara al-shay’ means “he began the thing.” Ibn ‘Abbaas said: I did not understand what faatir al-samawaati wa’l-ard (Creator of the heavens and the earth) meant until two Bedouins came to me with a dispute about a well, and one of them said Ana fatartuha (I started it), meaning that he was the one who dug it first.

Abu’l-‘Abbaas said that he heard Ibn al-A‘raabi say: Ana awwal man fatara hadha (I am the first one who started this), meaning the first one to begin it [Taaj al-‘Aroos, 1/3347]
This means that the root faTara and faaTir may be used to refer to others than Allah ‘azza wa jall, however Allah is the only true Faatir as each and every thing is started by His will and power only.

Al-Faatir Himself says: Their messengers said, “Can there be doubt about Allah , Creator of the heavens and earth?..[Quran, 14:10].. Say, “O Allah , Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, You will judge between your servants concerning that over which they used to differ. [Quran, 39:46]

The great excellence

In the Quran Allah starts a surah with: [All] praise is [due] to Allah , Creator of the heavens and the earth, [who] made the angels messengers having wings, two or three or four … [Quran, 35:1] Allah Al-Faatir teaches us beautiful lessons we can learn from this chapter: surah Faatir. 
He ‘azza wa jall opens strongly stating it is He who is the Creator of the heavens and earth and therefore both praise and thanks belongs to Him.
Further in the surah Allah says: We gave the Book as an inheritance to those whom We chose from among Our servants; among them is the one who wrongs himself, and among them is also the one who takes a middle course, and of them is the one who is foremost in virtuous deeds by Allah’s permission; this is the great excellence. [Quran, 35:32]
Here Al-Faatir explains to us how of all of the creation, He chose a selection to be blessed with belief in Him, with Al-Islam. He then describes how we can classify ourselves into three groups, all of which are among the believers.
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣri explained: the wrongful one is the one whose ill-deeds have overtaken his good deeds, the foremost one is the one whose good-deeds have overtaken his ill-deeds, and the middle-coursed one is the one whose good-deeds and ill-deeds are equivalent. This teaches us that true success, or excellence, lies not in materialism but in your good deeds outweighing your bad deeds.

How Can You Live by This Name?

1. Feel true praise and thanks.
Allah ‘azza wa jall starts surah Faatir with: Alhamdulillaahi faaTiris samaawaati wal ardh – [All] praise is [due] to Allah , Creator of the heavens and the earth..[Quran 35:1] You firmly believe He is the Creator, but how often do you really praise Him and how strong is your thanks to Him, for all He gave you?  Most important is that you say each alhamdulillah, with a strong conviction that He is your Creator, the Originator of all you see, feel, taste and touch!
Recognize His work all around you and be thankful for all that He created for you to make use of in this world. [He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby [Quran, 42:11].

2. Realize how blessed you are with Islam.
Halfway surah Faatir Allah says: We gave the Book as an inheritance to those whom We chose from among Our servants… [Quran, 35:32] Do you see the Quran as your inheritance? How much effort do you make to practise the Book Al-Faatir chose to reveal to you? Realize that as a Muslim you are blessed with the greatest bounty: belief. If you are weak in practising Islam still realize that you are part of His chosen slaves among His enourmous creation and let this motivate you to work harder. If you are already steadfast in your religion, keep reminding yourself this is from Al-Faatir only.

3. Seek love and protection at the source.
The most destructive quest is that for love and protection from the wrong sources. How many people have been consumed by their obsessive love for others instead of loving their Creator and disappointed and broken by their realization the creation could not protect them? Al-Faatir is the one who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them and He is the only one who can protect you and love you like no other. Say, “Is it other than Allah I should take as a protector, Creator of the heavens and the earth, while it is He who feeds and is not fed?”[Quran, 6:14]
So bow to Him and seek Him only in ease and hardship! Like Yusuf ‘alayhi sallam beautifully supplicated: Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous [Quran, 12:101]

4. Call upon Al-Faatir.
A beautiful way to praise and thank Him is to stick to the adhkaar of the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for example the morning and evening remembrance- a set of supplications to be said after fajr and after the ‘asr prayer.* One of them  is:

‎“اللَّهُمَّ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَاطِرَ السَّماوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَمَلِيكَهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَشِرْكِهِ، وَأَنْ أَقْتَرِفَ عَلَى نَفْسِي سُوءاً، أَوْ أَجُرَّهُ إِلَى مُسْلِمٍ”.

O Allah, Knower of the unseen and the evident , Maker of the heavens and the earth (faaTiras samaawaati wal ardh) , Lord of everything and its Possessor , I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You . I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul and from the evil of Satan and his helpers . (I seek refuge in You) from bringing evil upon my soul and from harming any Muslim [At-Tirmidhee, Abu Dawood]. Memorize this beautiful dua’, make it part of your daily routine and revive the sunnah!O Allah, Al-Faatir, we know that You originate, initiate, and create. Make us of the shaakireen (thankful ones) and of the ones whose good deeds outweigh the bad deeds. Guide us in seeking You only for protection, in directing our love to You first and foremost, and make us call upon You with conviction morning and evening, ameen!