My Journey to Islam

Good News

2007-01-12T18:20:00.001-08:00

2salam wa 3laykom! I hope you are well. It has been a week since I began committing to praying the five daily prayers, and so far so good! :) It is the best part of my day to spend time just communicating with Allah. A lot has happened this week since this decision. I finally received the decision from the university and I have been accepted! Alhamdulellah! I have been waiting for this opportunity for so long. I spent ten years of my life working in a great career where I found a lot of success and I was very happy with my work because I was helping a lot of people everyday. I learned so much and it helped to develop my character.

However, now I am ready to take a break from it to seek my next chapter in life. My current goals are to get my International Business and Islamic Studies degree, get my Master's in International/Immigration Law and somewhere around that time insha Allah start a family. If I did work, which I don't see myself doing too much once I get married, I would Iike to work in diplomatic relations or as legal counsel for international operations with an organization. I enjoy anything that relates to law, international or intercultural relations, and serving the people. I used to be a teacher and I loved it. I will definitely continue to teach all my life in one way or another. Who knows? Maybe someday I can teach about Islam too, especially to my children when I have them.

I am looking forward to the classes about Islam that I will be taking at the university as well as improving my Arabic language skills. I met a new Muslim friend who is a teacher and she is helping me to learn about the hadith right now. The hadith are the collection of traditions from the Prophet Mohammad, sallâ Allâhu ´alayhi wa sallam, (that means Peace be upon him) that include his sayings, acts, and approval or disapproval of things. Hadith is considered by Muslims as a major source of religious law and moral guidance. Almost all Muslims consider the hadith to be essential supplements and clarifications of the Qur'an, Islam's holy book.

As for the Qur'an, I am also studying Tajweed for reciting the Qur'an. The word Tajweed linguistically means 'proficiency' or 'doing something well'. It comes from the same root as the word 'Jayyid' in Arabic (meaning 'good'). The root letters are: Jeem, Waw and Daal. I love learning the roots of the languages of the prophets, sallâ Allâhu ´alayhi wa sallam. I am very fascinated by this subject. When applied to the Qur'an, Tajweed means observing the rules that apply to each of the letters in different situations. Qur'an recitation is a beautiful thing. It is one of the things that brought me to Islam.

I remember the first time I truly listened to recitation of the Qur'an. It was surat Maryam. I mentioned about this story in my first post in this blog. I hope to be able to learn Tajweed so that I can recite the Qur'an well myself someday. I am trying to learn a new surat every day, and I am also working on making them perfect. The imam at my local masjid is an excellent reciter and he is teaching me the tajweed and how to pronounce it. He is a great teacher. I love the mosque I am going to. There are great classes, and it is soooo close to my house! Alhamdulellah!

Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله) means "Praise to God" in Arabic, similar to the Hebrew Halelu Yah. In everyday speech it simply means "Thank God!" It is in the first verse of the first surat of the Qur'an, surat Al-Fatihah! This was the first surat I learned to recite.

Another interesting thing to note is that Muslims and Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians all use this phrase. I will let you know how my next classes go.

By the way, check out this great site about the prophet Mohammad, sallâ Allâhu ´alayhi wa sallam; http://islamway.com/mohammad/

Islam and the Message of Jesus

2007-01-12T18:16:00.001-08:00

Sabah al kher! (Good morning in Arabic) I am having a nice, relaxing Saturday morning so far. I just had a nice Guatemalan style breakfast with re-fried black beans and plantains and some yogurt (an Arabic twist). Yummy. Now I am just doing some reading on Shari'ah, which is Arabic for "a waterway that leads to a main stream, a drinking place, and a road or the right path." From this meaning, the word Shari`ah was used to refer to a path or a passage that leads to an intended place, or to a certain goal.
Shari`ah, refers to a set of rules, regulations, teachings, and values governing every aspect of a Muslim's life. Anyway, I was just thinking about Islam as a religion. Like I said in my prior post, I see religion as but a tool, not as the bottom line. God is the bottom line and submission to Him. That is why I am not completely in agreement when people put too much emphasis on saying their religion is the one true path to God. I know that the one true path to God is SUBMISSION TO HIS WILL!!! And guess what? That is what Islam means!!! And not only that, but also Islam is what all the prophets have been teaching us, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

So in this perspective, I would have to say that Islam IS the only path to God. I am not the best person at explaining concepts, but I hope you get what I am trying to say. The idea of submission to one God was the message of every prophet from Abraham to Mohammad, peace be upon them. Religion is important because it is the launching pad for this way of life.
Jesus (PBUH) and his Message - to free us from the law or to fulfill the law?

I often heard Christians defending their religion and putting down Islam by using the idea that Jesus has made them free from the law and that all Muslims are slaves to the law still because they have not been redeemed by Jesus. I however, never interpreted my studies of the bible and Jesus' sayings in this way. On the contrary. I saw that Jesus was here to uphold the law and remind us of the true essence of it. The law is for our benefit. Why should we see it as something bad? The law IS freedom. Freedom from the bondage of sin! I thank God for His laws. It is just one other way he shows us His love for us. For example, in the bible, in Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus said,

"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".

But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

This is a very well-known passage, but most Christians, including myself, have only partially interpreted it to mean that we should love and forgive our enemies and not be vengeful but to leave the vengeance to God. In each of the times in the bible that Jesus quotes the provisions of the Jewish Law, he did it without any criticism, and if you reread those passages in the bible you will see that. Jesus was not criticising the law, but endorsing it! Not only this, but he was calling on his followers not only to refrain from the abuses the Law condemns, but to go to the opposite extreme by exercising forgiveness and love — even when one has a just claim to vengeance.

So, he is explaining the law and encouraging people to adhere to it, and he took it even further by urging his followers to go further than the Law demands, in order to "Be perfect". For example, don't just punish people for their sins, also love them and forgive them and be strong in a tolerant manner. That is one thing that was amazing about him. He followed the law if you will note, but also took it further by doing everything in love. Well, I gotta go do some errands. I hope you enjoyed my ideas.

How I Found Islam

2007-01-12T18:14:00.001-08:00

3asalamu 3alaikoum! Ahlan wa sahlan (welcome) to my blog! My birth name is Rosemary which in Arabic is Warda or Zahra (rose/flower) Maryam (Mary/Maria). Most people either call me Maryam or Rosie. I am starting this blog so that I can share with my friends and anyone interested about my journey to Islam. I am going to start with a brief recounting of some of the things that inspired me to choose this path for my life. It will only be a brief overview as unfortunately, I have very little time right now to devote to free-writing as I have a lot of school work to do. But I will continue to add and develop my story over time. In the meant time, I hope you enjoy my testimony of my decision to consider Islam for my life.

I actually grew up with the pentecostal church. My favorte church, and my church family is in a church called Mt. Calvary Christian on Union Street in Seattle with the pastor Reggie Jackson (although since I've been there it has moved to Renton). I was actually greatly exposed to many different sects of Christianity growing up, from Mormon life to Catholicism, through my extended family and people I have lived with in my many travels, which added depth to my understanding of the Cristian religion.

Let me first say one thing. I do not believe that there is one perfect man-made religion, because man is not perfect. I think that only God is perfect and His Word. Islam came directly from Allah to us, it is simply to completely submit to his will. Islam has been here in different forms but the people have rebelled from it over history. If you see Islam in these terms, then it would make sense to consider that Jesus and the prophets before him pbut were Muslim as well. I think that religion as a combination of Allah's commands and man made systems to implement it, is necessary for us because it provides us with a path to God's will and a guide to stay on it. After all, it is one reason Allah gave us the ability to reason. Every thing that happens to us has its process so there are different ways to go about it from different perspectives but in the end the key is to stay in Allah's will and obedient to him with regards to that, and it is easier to when you have a wise guide through religion to apply that to each situation in life.

As for Christianity and Judaism, being sisters to the religious practice of Islam, if you were born into these religions or adopted them along the path of life, if they seem to be what brings you into God's will, and inspire you to begin asking questions about Allah and what your purpose in life is, then than that's good, as long as you truly study it and ask the hard questions instead of just accepting whatever is thrown at you as true. We have no excuse not to look into religion further than we do. I know that I am thankful for having been Christian because I learned a lot for my life and it brought me to study Islam.

We must test all that is said to be true. That is how I felt about my own path. I am not much into denominations and all that, although I think it is important to find a church family that you are compatible with and are in line with your beliefs and research. I did love my church family and felt happy as a Christian, but after my studies and testing of Islam I knew it was the best tool for me to truly refine my lifestyle and direct all my steps towards God.

I love ALL of the prophets and Islam reveres them all, including Jesus, but there is no mediator needed between the people and their Lord in Islam, just as Jesus and the prophets and believers before him needed no mediator. God is forgiving of us. Yes we are sinners, but God is oft-forgiving, there is no blood to be shed, only prayers to be said. haha, I just made a rhyme! woohoo!

Anyway, I just think the bottom line should be on God and on seeking His will through obedience, worship and service. Religion and church is just a tool. I try as much as possible to understand how Jesus lived in worshipping God. This is one great example for our lives. It is right in front of us. I've always enjoyed studying the bible, and have done it diligently from cover to cover. As I learned more and more how Jesus and the prophets (peace be upon them) lived and worshipped Allah, I wanted I learn how I could follow more closely to example, as that is what as a Christian we were taught to do.

In Jesus' time (pbuh), no one worshipped him, but they loved him and followed his way. The church was everywhere, not just in a building, and the laws were followed and clearly defined to the people. The prophets, including King David, Joseph, Moses, Abraham, and Jesus (peace be upon them) would fast diligently and throw themselves to the earth to pray heartfelt prayers and were in communion with God. I wanted to go back to this way.

I studied Judaism through the Jewish studies center at my local university as Jesus lived among the Jews, before the Muslim Qur'an came around or before Christianity existed as we know it today. Hebrew was the first language known to be used in communicating holy words. This made it extra special to me. It is where the word Allah comes from (you may here its root reflected in "Hallelujah", "Elohim"). It is fascinating to learn the roots of these languages and the connection among holy words from Hebrew to Arabic to Aramaic. They are based on a root system. Each word comes from a certain root. Their alphabets are also similar although they may look very different. Anyway, I learned a lot by studying the original Torah, the book that has much of the Old Testament.

I learned a lot about how people worshipped in the time of Jesus and their level of reverence towards God's laws and commands. I felt that all that I needed to follow God's will for my life was in the Taurah, and the Jewish way, which was the original way. However, one important element for me would not allow me to convert to Judaism and go back to the old ways. They did not see Jesus as God or even as a prophet. I could never deny the power God gave to Jesus to bring his message. I love Jesus sooo much. After all, through his words and life, I came to know and love God in the first place.

All this time, I have been happy as a Christian. I am not one to shun Christianity or deny its power on people to turn to God. But like i said in the beginning, for me, religion is but the tool, not the point. The point is God. So I just want to be on the path that is best for me to be the best believer I can be for God. After Judaism, I continue to study it and I love it of course because it was what Moses and many of the prophets (peace be upon them) were and is actually the same base as all of the three main religions, and the same central laws and beliefs.

I see religion as a progression. It began with Judaism, but people went a stray, so Jesus came to reaffirm the way, and it made great waves, but some people misinterpreted it and changed it over time, then came the Qur'an, the holy words not interpreted by a writer, but spoken directly to the angel Gabriel who in turn gave it to the prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him.

I had never known much about Muslims before that except that they dressed modestly, reverently to God, had strong family units, knew a lot about God and religious practice, and prayed so passionately to God. But I didn't know what it was about. I made a friend who was Muslim and was between Christianity and Islam. We often studied together and asked the tough questions and debated. It made me see how closely connected Christianity actually was to Islam. The roots of it.

I remember one friend of mine sent me a audio file via Internet of the chapter on Mary in the holy Qur'an. It was absolutely magnificent. It filled the house with such an electricity. Even the Arabic was impacting and the translation was amazing. I learned so much about Mary and her time having Jesus (peace be upon them). She is so revered in the Qur'an. And there are more details about her in it than their are int he bible. And they line up so well with what is in the bible about her. Just hearing that passage inspired me to begin study of Islam.

I first wanted to address Jesus. I learned that not only is he mentioned more in the Qur'an than the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon them), but that he is considered a great prophet of God. His stories in the Qur'an are so incredible. I love Jesus, and it is my belief based on my study that Jesus did not mean for us to worship him, but only to stress that he was sent of God, and that we are all one and we may become one with him and the Father if we submit to His will. I love Jesus and feel I am not following his teaching by worshiping him. I just want to worship God just as he did. God is forgiving, he is merciful.

I repent and want to worship only him. I want to honor Jesus and the prophets and I do so in prayer, but not to the point of saying he is God. I also like the fact that the Qur'an teaches that all true believers, Christians, Jews, and Muslims will be received on Judgment day, and that Jesus is the messiah and will come to fight the anti-christ. At any rate, as you can see there are many parallels between these religions. I could go on for ever, but if you made it this far, I will give you a break.

So, in conclusion, Islam is the path I have found to be the most efficient for me to be able to submit fully to God's will. I love how it defines the holy path so clearly, and provides help to get you to be more consistent in direct communion with God through the five daily prayers with no intermediary required, the emphasis on purity, which helps remind us that God is oft forgiving and also the clear teachings on almost any topic you can imagine to help you stay on the straight path.
Well, I have to get back to my calculus homework before I fall too far behind. Feel free to comment! Fee min Allah