New Muslims Introduction :-)

[jimcate]

assalamu alaikum dear beothers and sisters--I am a recent revert to Islam of 9 months now.  I recieved about 20 free books about Islam from Islamreligion.com from Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  I have had some few trials of faith but Allah has brought me thru them.  I am new to this forum and looking forward to reading and making posts

[mark]

assalamu alaikum
Welcome aboard brother. I too embraced Islam 9 months ago.

[Waseem]

Walaikum as salam jimcate,

Dear brother or sister!

We welcome you to the fold of islam, and pray may Allah keep all of us firm on His True religion.
Masha'allah it is good to hear about you.
Insha'allah what ever help and assistance we can provide i.e in our capacity, we will do.
May Allah make things easy for u.

[Andos]

Walaikum Asalam,

Welcome to the forum bro or sister. I'm also a new revert as from the 23rd Jan this year. I've also been through quite a bit as well. I hope to see you at one of the upcoming NM Support Group Classes and we could talk about each others stories. I believe the next one is one the topic of Hajj I'm easy to spot, just look for the chinese guy .

Salam

[MissA]

Walaikum Asalam
Welcome.  I am coming up to one year!  The time has flown, I too have had my challenges but thank Allah I have had the strength to over come them.
Good Luck in your journey and keep in touch!
Amanda

[Abu Maryam]

As-Salamu Alaikum!


Alhamdulilah I have been a practicing Muslim for 4 years (nearly, 4 years minus a week).  I am also new to this forum, and InShaAllah I will benefit by being part of it. 

I love you all for the sake of Allah, and may Allah loves us and May Allah put us under His shade, that day when there is no shade except His, Ameen, Ameen, Ameen!

May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad (SaAllahu Alayi wa Salam) his family, companions and all Muslims until Judgmet Day!

[Truthseeker]

As salaamu alaikum dear Andos and MissA,

It is so good to hear from you about your accepting Islam. It is one of the great blessings of our Creator, Allah ( subhanahu wa ta'ala ) that He blessed us with the religion of Islam.

May Allah have Mercy on both of you and also on others and make the following and practicing of His commands easy on all of us.

Jazakallah Khair.

[Ibrahim]

A'salaamu Aleikom.

I reverted to Islam a couple of years ago, an act that cost me everything, however I do not regret doing what I did.

What was I before this? Of that question I am unsure. I was declared Excommunicatum many years ago. It seems the Bishops had a problem with my teachings, something to do with my conflict surrounding the Teachings of the Prophets, and Church Doctrine on Statues and Deification of Jeshua, may Allah be pleased with him.

Ayway, I just thought I'd throw my hat into ring

W'aleikom Salaam

[Abu Bakr]

Assalaam alikum

Brother Ibrahim, InshaAllah, I hope Allah replaces all that you lost with much better than it!

Islam is so much more simple than all the complex teachings of Church, the statues ...  It'd be nice to hear more of your experience before Islam may be we can appreciate Islam's simplicity more!

Welcome into the ring  , many of us will love to sit with you some day.  Let us know if we can be of any assistance, there's a bunch of nice bros here on the forum, just shy ones though

Wassalaam
Abu Bakr (well, inspired by the first Abu Bakr!)

[abou_zur3ah]

Assalaamu alaikum everyone

It's great to be back to the forum after a long hibernation ;-)

Welcome brother Ibrahim.

May Allah help us all to be firm on the Straight Path.

Wassalaam

[Ibrahim]

A'salaamu Aleikom Brother Abu Bakr.

Thank you for your kind words of welcome.

Yes, life has been a little difficult since shehada. When I told my now ex wife of my decision, she abandoned our child and I. My Daughter has become a little cynical about religion, and life, in general, but I must accept what she has become, "There is no compulsion in religion".
I am now a fulltime parent, surviving on a Dissabilty Pension, still paying off my ex wifes debts, but that's ok.
I don't live in a Palace, but I give thanks to Allah, subhanna wa ta'ala, for what little I do have, especially when there are many who have nothing. When I think of those who live in cars and tents, under bridges, bus shelters and etc, what have I got to complain about? Nothing.
Have I ever had doubts? I would be telling a lie were I to say no. But then something happens that erases those doubts.

Although there is only myself and my Daughter here most of the time, I often find myself cooking for four or five. The extras tend to be homeless teenagers, and I cannot abide that anyone should go hungry. Last week I was woken up by the Police, who asked if I could give shelter to a young girl, Homeless, cold and wet, with nothing but the clothes she stood in, how can I say no? She will stay a short while, until I can find a way to guide her into something better.
All of the kids that find their way to my door come from families that are totaly disfunctional, parents that are abusive, violent, drug or alchohol addicted, and don't realy care what happens to their children, as long as the Government payments keep coming, to support their lifestyle, these kids are tolerated by them. But it is not my job to judge them.

I do not complain about this state of affairs, I give thanks that although I am not rich, in this way I give Zakat, and in a passive way, I practice Darwah, by example, without the "Bible bashing" that they get elsewhere.

As I have often stated, "I love all humanity, I may not love what they do, but each and every one of us is deserving of love."

W'aleikom Salaam

[abou_zur3ah]

Surah 92 - Al-Layl (The Night)

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
[092:001] By the night as it envelops.
[092:002] By the day as it appears in brightness.
[092:003] By Him Who created male and female.
[092:004] Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes);
[092:005] As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allâh and fears Him,
[092:006] And believes in Al-Husnâ*.
[092:007] We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).
[092:008] But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.
[092:009] And denies Al-Husnâ*.
[092:010] We will make smooth for him the path for evil.
[092:011] And what will his wealth avail him when he goes down (in destruction)?
[092:012] Truly, on Us is (to give) guidance.
[092:013] And truly, to Us (belong) the last (Hereafter) and the first (this world).
[092:014] Therefore, I have warned you of a blazing Fire (Hell).
[092:015] None shall enter it except the most wretched.
[092:016] Who denies and turns away.
[092:017] And Al-Muttaqûn (the pious) will be far removed from it (Hell).
[092:018] He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification,
[092:019] And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back,
[092:020] Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High.
[092:021] He, surely, will be pleased (when he will enter Paradise).


*(V.92:6) Al-Husnâ: The Best (i.e. either Lâ ilâha illallâh: none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh) or a reward from Allâh (i.e. Allâh will compensate him for what he will spend in Allâh's way or bless him with Paradise).
B) See the footnote of (V.4:37).

[abou_zur3ah]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKOhdJ218d4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKOhdJ218d4</a>

[muslim131]

Assalam Alaikum
Congratulations all on your conversion to Islam, I enjoyed reading your stories. I converted 35 years ago whilst in the Australian army, had to undergo many psyche evaluations. I was even told I was mad, not bad eh, classed a mad because some officer didn’t believe I wouldn’t stop praying and stand to attention.

I was brought up in a catholic orphanage, my mother died of cancer when I was eighteen months old and father left with six children just left us. I had an interesting childhood however never really knew I was different to other children until one day when I was about 16, I went to a classmates house after school and his mother asked him what he wanted to eat, I just sat there crying never in my life had I been asked what I wanted to eat. Up every morning at 6 o’clock off to the chapel to pray and always called by a number not a name, the number 131 has haunted my life. I didn’t know a mother could be so kind as to ask a child what they wanted.

In the orphanage had many an opportunity to talk to God, the Christian brothers helped me, made to stand in a court yard naked in the rain at 2 am as punishment at the age of 10  on many an occasions over the years, one tends to question their existence and god. Yes that did take place in catholic orphanages when I was growing up and we are called terrorists.

Bashed and beaten everyday to the point it doesn’t hurt anymore, is motivation to talk with someone you can’t see. “Dear God if ya really there is this part of your master plan?” I guess though all the time God was listening because now I am just one sad soul who questioned God too many times and now have to make up for it 5 times a day and have the joy of fasting.
The prophet was also an orphan so I hope he didn’t get himself in the sort of trouble I did. Then again his trials were worse so I would hate to hear what he was asking.

I now have 5 children and 6 lovely grandchildren who are all muslim, love em all. There are days that the grandchildren visit and I am tempted to ask God why? However now know not to question the plan, it’s his and he can do whatever he wants with it.
My conversion took place however after seeing my brother in-law perform ablution before reading the Quran. What was so good about a book that someone would wash before reading it. On seeing the Quran text however, Arabic for the first time thought to myself his not reading those squiggles any way. So started the long study of Arabic and Islam……..
Actions speak louder than words eh.

[رابعه العدويه]

WARNING!!!Random thought...

Assalamu Alaikum brother Muslim131,   

Many thanks to you and everyone else who shared their story in this forum; your contributions are much appreciated.

For born Muslims, like myself, your stories rekindle our love for Islam and strengthen our desire to uphold that strong covenant we made with our creator the day we accepted Islam. 

I have recently been to four-days forum on faith and values. Participants in the forum came from various cultural and religious backgrounds.  One of the schedules in the forum was the special ‘group time’ session where we had a chance to shared our stories and know more about each other.  To me this was by far the most memorable part of forum.  When we share our stories, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and hopes we get to know people at a deeper level.  Before hearing each others stories we believed we were strangers.  Following our special time, we became the closest of friends.

Someone once said to me ‘when you share you strengths you breed competitiveness but when you share your vulnerabilities you create a community’.   I may not know you in person Muslim131 but I felt a deep heartache when I read your story. One may question: if there is a God in this world how could there be so much injustice and so much suffering? This question was indeed posed by one of the young women I met during the forum.  To me as a Muslim the answer was clear: adversity is a test from Allah (SWT) to see if a person will show resilience and be patient and reap the reward later or be stern, ungrateful and therefore, reap Allah’s punishment.  But how can I communicate this to a person who have been though so much suffering to the point they lost their faith in God and humanity!!!! ( I would welcome your suggestions on this matter)         

However, in your case brother, knowing that the injustice and suffering you’ve been through is what led you to the person you are today, makes the journey worth a while doesn’t it?? In the end Allah guides those who wanted to be guided.

It’s Allah’s (SWT) plan as you said.  I ask Allah to give you strength and reward you abundantly in this life and the lifeafter Amen.

Thank you all and keep the good stories coming