"When Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists alike realise and respect the sacredness in the other, and drop the claim that they alone monopolise all that is good and holy; perhaps then we will be one step closer to recognising the fundamental humanity we share with each other – whether we like it or not"
Why I'm a Muslim:
I believe in the concept of a sole Creator; something as mind blowing and complex as the universe and everything in it MUST have a Creator, and the Creator must be in the form of ultimate greatness, beyond the limitation of our logical mind. In that sense, only Islam has given me that most acceptable answer, in the most logical way it can be.
Why I'm a Muslim:
I love history, and understanding the Quran (well, most of it) is like reading a great rendition of the world from its very beginning, and how beautiful of a book it is indeed. Beautifully written that you don't have to really understand it to know that it is an extremely good book.
Why I'm a Muslim:
I've never understood this before but as I grow up, I understand why Mom says that we need religion to keep us sane, especially in times of great sorrow and trouble. It teaches you not to mourn the passing of loved ones to the point of ruining your own lives, it teaches you not to lose hope when everything else fails, as you know, that the Al Mighty is constantly there, watching over you. You believe that He is looking after you, and Him being the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, won't let anything hurt you beyond your limit. Dzikir and prayers and even the simple reading of the Quran can give the serenity you seek, the peace of mind, like reading something soothing, and saying positive things to yourself.
Why I'm a Muslim:
I love the concept of having my hair covered. I don't wear it because Islam says so, I started doing it out of instinct - it made me feel safe. I can only speak for myself; don't know why others do it but for me, it is my control factor. When I wear it, people simply don't ask me to do bad things with them. I get less harassment, less unnecessary attention; which suits me best (may be not suitable for those who loves extra attention, imho). I agree that it makes you less attractive, less fashionable and some people might hate it, but I am comfortable with it. So to me, if you don't want to wear it, you just won't wear it, even if the religion says so.
Why I'm a Muslim:
Islam is in simple word, believing in the Almighty, and the teachings delivered by Muhammad (p.b.u.h). I was born a Muslim. I was taught the Malay Muslim way of living, which may differ greatly from those other Muslims but the fundamental, of believing in Him and the teachings, are the same, supposed to be the same.
It's the "design appraisal," the proves I kept encountering on the logic and reasons on why certain things are banned in Islam - eating pork (it is also banned in the bible), drinking alcohol, the 'hudud' and others. Many often than not, those banned things cause more bad than good to us human, so why do it the first place? For instance the alcohol, yes it is used widely used in the perfume, cosmetics and medicine industry, in a controlled manner, for good causes. Unlike if you were to consume it directly, responsibly or not, the influence of alcohol turns your mind and body into something that you can't control 100%. I love my body, I love my mind - those are the only things that I owned, it is mine 100% and I don't like to be out of control. If you think you can have total control on your actions and thinking even under the influence of alcohol, by all means, continue doing it.
Well that's just me, in the simplest English, most layman way of sharing the reasons why I am a Muslim. Better answers can be found from experts and scholars but yeah, I like who I am right now, always trying to be the best me I can be. It is the matter of preference, some might like it and do it, some might love being a Muslim or a Buddhist, others don't. Let's just not forget that at the end of the day, we are all human being, under the same human race, so no such thing as good person bad person, good race bad race; no one is technically better than anyone else, not until they were to inflict harm on others. Period.
Have a great week!
Why I'm a Muslim:
I believe in the concept of a sole Creator; something as mind blowing and complex as the universe and everything in it MUST have a Creator, and the Creator must be in the form of ultimate greatness, beyond the limitation of our logical mind. In that sense, only Islam has given me that most acceptable answer, in the most logical way it can be.
 |
| On the highest peak of South East Asia - the Mt. Kinabalu, 2009 |
I love history, and understanding the Quran (well, most of it) is like reading a great rendition of the world from its very beginning, and how beautiful of a book it is indeed. Beautifully written that you don't have to really understand it to know that it is an extremely good book.
Why I'm a Muslim:
I've never understood this before but as I grow up, I understand why Mom says that we need religion to keep us sane, especially in times of great sorrow and trouble. It teaches you not to mourn the passing of loved ones to the point of ruining your own lives, it teaches you not to lose hope when everything else fails, as you know, that the Al Mighty is constantly there, watching over you. You believe that He is looking after you, and Him being the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, won't let anything hurt you beyond your limit. Dzikir and prayers and even the simple reading of the Quran can give the serenity you seek, the peace of mind, like reading something soothing, and saying positive things to yourself.
Why I'm a Muslim:
I love the concept of having my hair covered. I don't wear it because Islam says so, I started doing it out of instinct - it made me feel safe. I can only speak for myself; don't know why others do it but for me, it is my control factor. When I wear it, people simply don't ask me to do bad things with them. I get less harassment, less unnecessary attention; which suits me best (may be not suitable for those who loves extra attention, imho). I agree that it makes you less attractive, less fashionable and some people might hate it, but I am comfortable with it. So to me, if you don't want to wear it, you just won't wear it, even if the religion says so.
Why I'm a Muslim:
Islam is in simple word, believing in the Almighty, and the teachings delivered by Muhammad (p.b.u.h). I was born a Muslim. I was taught the Malay Muslim way of living, which may differ greatly from those other Muslims but the fundamental, of believing in Him and the teachings, are the same, supposed to be the same.
It's the "design appraisal," the proves I kept encountering on the logic and reasons on why certain things are banned in Islam - eating pork (it is also banned in the bible), drinking alcohol, the 'hudud' and others. Many often than not, those banned things cause more bad than good to us human, so why do it the first place? For instance the alcohol, yes it is used widely used in the perfume, cosmetics and medicine industry, in a controlled manner, for good causes. Unlike if you were to consume it directly, responsibly or not, the influence of alcohol turns your mind and body into something that you can't control 100%. I love my body, I love my mind - those are the only things that I owned, it is mine 100% and I don't like to be out of control. If you think you can have total control on your actions and thinking even under the influence of alcohol, by all means, continue doing it.
Well that's just me, in the simplest English, most layman way of sharing the reasons why I am a Muslim. Better answers can be found from experts and scholars but yeah, I like who I am right now, always trying to be the best me I can be. It is the matter of preference, some might like it and do it, some might love being a Muslim or a Buddhist, others don't. Let's just not forget that at the end of the day, we are all human being, under the same human race, so no such thing as good person bad person, good race bad race; no one is technically better than anyone else, not until they were to inflict harm on others. Period.
Have a great week!
4 comments:
again, beautiful :) I love reading your posts. They make me happy :D
I am not trying to rain on your parade, but since you have studied the Koran a lot, can you tell me what the problem-solving method of the Koran is. It seems from the quotes from the Koran I have seen that the problem-solving method of the Koran is murder. Even here in Tucson the owner of a mosque was murdered because someone did not like his attempt at numerology on the Koran.
Sorry for the late reply and no, I wouldn’t say that I have studied the Quran a lot, I honestly think there are better person/groups/scholars that you can refer to should you want a more comprehensive and detailed interpretation or understanding on the book.
Nonetheless from what little knowledge I have on my religion, it does not condone any violence, let alone murder. The most fundamental essense in Islam is humanity itself. Muslims believe in the law of personal responsibility; Islam teaches that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. Here I’d like to share something I’ve read on murder:
“Terrorism, unjustified violence and the killing of innocent people are absolutely forbidden in Islam. Islam is a way of life that is meant to bring peace to a society, whether its people are Muslim or not. The extreme actions of those who claim to be Muslim may be, among other things, a result of their ignorance or uncontrolled anger. Tyrant rulers and those who commit acts of terrorism in the name of Islam are simply not following Islam. These people are individuals with their own views and political agendas. Fanatical Muslims are no more representative of the true Islamic teachings than Timothy McVeigh or David Koresh are of Christianity. Extremism and fanaticism is a problem that is common to all religious groups”
My condolence to the mosque owner who was murdered, that was definitely NOT that way of problem solving in Islam
Have you read Ibn Warraq's 'why I Am Not A Muslim'? You might have a very interesting conversation with him about your 'interpretations' of what's written in the koran. Lipstick on a pig, methinks.
Post a Comment