38 replies to this topic

[Ya Baqiyatullah (aj)]

I know they are other threads on this. Though, I wanted to see a poll, just to see how the figures were and see how our daw'ah was orientated.

[bi_ithnillaah]

non-Muslim then sunni for a few years then shi'a.

[bi_ithnillaah]

Why am I the only one who voted? =/

[Ya Baqiyatullah (aj)]

More people need to, JazaKallah for the vote!

[shia_warrior92]

hmmm interesting..however i wonder if there are any EX -shias?... i always get told in debates.... so and so was shia and turned sunni.. hmm

[akamp]

I was born a Shia. I had serious reservations about religion When I was around 14-16 but forced myself to keep faith. That state did not last for more than 3 or 4 years. I did a lot of research on religions and sects, and alhamdulillah found that I was on the right path after all.

Now looking at the past I think, If it were not for Ahlu Bayt, I wouldn't have been able to reach the right path and be a Muslim at peace.

[Ali_Hussain]

was born shi'a but had serious doubts about it because of the extremists out there, it started with my family members and then it turned out many shi'a had this warped idea of islam, but i read and read, and there is doubt in my mind that the original teachings of the ahlul bayt are the true islam.

as for shi'a becoming sunni, there are some videos on youtube, i haven't watched them, because i'm sure its just nonsense


i have seen others, i've never watched them and can't seem to find them. also i know this guy, from a sayed family whos father is 'going towards the sunni side' as he put it

[doobybrother]

ShahHussain, on 06 September 2010 - 10:48 PM, said:

was born shi'a but had serious doubts about it because of the extremists out there, it started with my family members and then it turned out many shi'a had this warped idea of islam, but i read and read, and there is doubt in my mind that the original teachings of the ahlul bayt are the true islam.

Brother how long did your research last that guided you towards the real Islam?
And which aspects did you concentrate more upon tareekh, ahadith etc ....?

[Trekker]

I think the poll is kind of missing an option: that of having converted to the religion without having made a firm decision about which sect to follow.  

In a way that's what I did initially - I believed in Islam in general but initially felt that there was too much I needed to learn about the difference between the sects for me to make an informed decision between the two at the time.  

So I practiced as a Sunni - by default, because it's the largest sect, and the way I was taught - with the realization that there was another sect out there that did things differently, and that they might have it right while I had it wrong.  That way I was at least making an honest attempt to practice the faith, according to my level of knowledge, and could take some time to explore the sectarian divisions and make a more informed decision, rather than jumping (prematurely) with complete commitment into one sect or the other without having taken some time to check out both.  

So I sat on the sectarian fence for a long time, kind of intimidated by the fact that there were people with much greater knowledge of the religion than I would ever have on both sides, all with complete conviction that the path THEY were following was correct, and the other side was misguided.  

That's confusing for converts, as it seems presumptuous for someone completely new to the religion and with no formal training to decide, basically, that one sect is "right" and everybody on the other side, including learned men of religion, is effectively "wrong."  But then, you have to figure out some sectarian affiliation to complete the ritual requirements (e.g., to decide whether to do wudhu/pray the Shia way, or the Sunni way).

It's an issue that a convert has to confront and ultimately make a decision on, but I think a certain amount of humility (in the form of not dismissively writing off people on the 'other side', taking accusations of one sect about the other with a grain of salt, and not becoming a sectarian fanatic) is necessary.  

I'm sure I'm not alone in having gone about it this gradual way, and of having had trouble sorting through the sectarian issue.

Edited by Trekker, 07 September 2010 - 02:11 PM.

[Ali_Hussain]

doobybrother, on 07 September 2010 - 01:24 PM, said:

Brother how long did your research last that guided you towards the real Islam?
And which aspects did you concentrate more upon tareekh, ahadith etc ....?

to be honest, i kept it simple, the simplest way to convince someone (who is open minded anyway) is for them to read history, it is simple. easy to understand and the fact speak for them selves, look at it like building a house
you start with the Qur'an, what does it say:  "he does not speak of his own desire but it is a revelation sent to him."
so we know the holy prophet (saww) does not speak of his own desire, so what did he say? now there way way to many saying naming Imam Ali as his successor but lets just go with ghadir khum:
"For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." for whom is Ali the mawla? the shi'a.
Rasulullah (saww) also on the same occasion said:  
"It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things and if you adhere to them both,  you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my Progeny, that is my Ahlul Bayt. The two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
who follow the Qur'an and Ahlul Bayt? the shi'a

the sunnis also narrate the hadith, "there will be 12 imams of the muslims,all will be of the qura'ish"
lets look at our 12 Imams i challenge anyone to find anything derogatory (some western scholars have said a couple of things about imam Hassan ) but appart from that, from our sunni brothers, there is no fault with them, apart from the esteemed mufti of saudi arabia abdul aziz al sheikh who thinks that Imam Hussain was a 'rebel' , but who cares what he has to say anyway.
the point is every point historical point of shi'a islam makes perfect sense, where as with sunni islam, historically there seem to be some flaws.

let me also say, there are many things about shi'a islam today that i don't agree with, but i don't consider these part of our faith, as the hadith to support them are weak and don't stand up to historical scrutiny.
to sum up, if you wish to bring some one to the ahlul bayt, use logic, logic is on our side, keep them away from these 'radical' shiites who's idea of islam is lets see what the sunnis do and say and do the opposite, that is wrong as they are our brothers, and 75% of our faith is the same

[Qa'im]

Born Sunni, became Imami two years ago, and Allah will decide who of us are the Shi`a.

[bi_ithnillaah]

Trekker, on 07 September 2010 - 02:09 PM, said:

I think the poll is kind of missing an option: that of having converted to the religion without having made a firm decision about which sect to follow.  

In a way that's what I did initially - I believed in Islam in general but initially felt that there was too much I needed to learn about the difference between the sects for me to make an informed decision between the two at the time.  

So I practiced as a Sunni - by default, because it's the largest sect, and the way I was taught - with the realization that there was another sect out there that did things differently, and that they might have it right while I had it wrong.  That way I was at least making an honest attempt to practice the faith, according to my level of knowledge, and could take some time to explore the sectarian divisions and make a more informed decision, rather than jumping (prematurely) with complete commitment into one sect or the other without having taken some time to check out both.  

So I sat on the sectarian fence for a long time, kind of intimidated by the fact that there were people with much greater knowledge of the religion than I would ever have on both sides, all with complete conviction that the path THEY were following was correct, and the other side was misguided.  

That's confusing for converts, as it seems presumptuous for someone completely new to the religion and with no formal training to decide, basically, that one sect is "right" and everybody on the other side, including learned men of religion, is effectively "wrong."  But then, you have to figure out some sectarian affiliation to complete the ritual requirements (e.g., to decide whether to do wudhu/pray the Shia way, or the Sunni way).

It's an issue that a convert has to confront and ultimately make a decision on, but I think a certain amount of humility (in the form of not dismissively writing off people on the 'other side', taking accusations of one sect about the other with a grain of salt, and not becoming a sectarian fanatic) is necessary.  

I'm sure I'm not alone in having gone about it this gradual way, and of having had trouble sorting through the sectarian issue.

I did it pretty similarly, but picked a side within about 6 months. If you're gonna be sunni, to a new Muslim, the salafi message (not the actual beliefs) is generally what makes the most sense.

All I knew about shi'a were rumors and mostly lies.
I think if I knew more truth about shi'a beliefs in the beginning I may not have chosen sunni salafi so quickly.
Allaahu a'lim.

[shia_warrior92]

Qa, on 07 September 2010 - 04:46 PM, said:

Born Sunni, became Imami two years ago, and Allah will decide who of us are the Shi`a.

salam bro..

erm please don't mind me asking..but what is an imami?..

[Ali_Hussain]

shia_warrior92, on 07 September 2010 - 06:01 PM, said:

salam bro..

erm please don't mind me asking..but what is an imami?..

imami, ithna ashari are names for the followers of twelve imams, what the brother was pointing out is if we want to use the word shi'a to describe ourselves, we must look at ourselves and see where we are compared to hadhrat salman al farsi, Abu Dhar, Ammar, these great personalities who the Holy Prophet (saww) described as being shi'a of Ali, and he's right, we should all look at our actions before we call ourselves shi'a, insha'Allah,we can live up to the title

Edited by ShahHussain, 07 September 2010 - 06:09 PM.

[shia_warrior92]

^^ aaah, ok Bro  thanks for that!

and yup Qaim, I agree, Allah will be the final judge. May Allah help us, its gonna be tough.

[doobybrother]

ShahHussain, on 07 September 2010 - 03:09 PM, said:

to be honest, i kept it simple, the simplest way to convince someone (who is open minded anyway) is for them to read history, it is simple. easy to understand and the fact speak for them selves, look at it like building a house
you start with the Qur'an, what does it say:  "he does not speak of his own desire but it is a revelation sent to him."
so we know the holy prophet (saww) does not speak of his own desire, so what did he say? now there way way to many saying naming Imam Ali as his successor but lets just go with ghadir khum:
"For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." for whom is Ali the mawla? the shi'a.
Rasulullah (saww) also on the same occasion said:  
"It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things and if you adhere to them both,  you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my Progeny, that is my Ahlul Bayt. The two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
who follow the Qur'an and Ahlul Bayt? the shi'a

the sunnis also narrate the hadith, "there will be 12 imams of the muslims,all will be of the qura'ish"
lets look at our 12 Imams i challenge anyone to find anything derogatory (some western scholars have said a couple of things about imam Hassan ) but appart from that, from our sunni brothers, there is no fault with them, apart from the esteemed mufti of saudi arabia abdul aziz al sheikh who thinks that Imam Hussain was a 'rebel' , but who cares what he has to say anyway.
the point is every point historical point of shi'a islam makes perfect sense, where as with sunni islam, historically there seem to be some flaws.

mashAllah brother, but I was more interested in this part. Your research into the true tashayyu.

Quote

let me also say, there are many things about shi'a islam today that i don't agree with, but i don't consider these part of our faith, as the hadith to support them are weak and don't stand up to historical scrutiny.
to sum up, if you wish to bring some one to the ahlul bayt, use logic, logic is on our side, keep them away from these 'radical' shiites who's idea of islam is lets see what the sunnis do and say and do the opposite, that is wrong as they are our brothers, and 75% of our faith is the same

[Jay]

Qa, on 07 September 2010 - 04:46 PM, said:

Born Sunni, became Imami two years ago, and Allah will decide who of us are the Shi`a.

Allah (swt) doesn't decide who are Shia, we do. He (swt) decides who are the Monafiqs (hypocrites) and who are the Mu'mins (believers). And towards my understanding, anyone who believes in Waliyat Ali is a Shi'ite.
And Alhamulilah you joined the winning team.

[Rocke]

shia_warrior92, on 06 September 2010 - 06:42 PM, said:

hmmm interesting..however i wonder if there are any EX -shias?... i always get told in debates.... so and so was shia and turned sunni.. hmm

I have an audio record of an Ithna 'Ashari reverted to Ahlussunnah wal Jama'ah, I heard the audio record 6 times and weep 6 times.

BTW, born Sunni and renew my religion about several years ago, still a proud Sunni

[JimJam]

^Sheesh what a crybaby

[Haydar Husayn]

Jay, on 10 September 2010 - 08:58 PM, said:

Allah (swt) doesn't decide who are Shia, we do. He (swt) decides who are the Monafiqs (hypocrites) and who are the Mu'mins (believers). And towards my understanding, anyone who believes in Waliyat Ali is a Shi'ite.
And Alhamulilah you joined the winning team.

Actually, if you read the ahadith of the Imams on who is a true Shia, then most of us aren't worthy of that title. Here is just one of them:

Quote

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir , once said to one of his companions: "O Jabir! It is not enough that a person says; I am a Shia and I love the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Prophet Muhammad's family (Ahlul Bayt) and the Imams. By Allah, a Shia is the one who is perfectly pious and obedient to Allah's commands. Anyone else is not a Shia no matter how much they say they love Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and no matter what they call themselves."

"O Jabir! Our Shias are known by these signs:

They are truthful, trustworthy and loyal;
They always remember Allah;
They offer their Prayers, observe fasts, and recite the Holy Qur'an;
They act nicely towards their parents;
They help their neighbours, take care of orphans, and say nothing but good of people;
They are worthy of people's trust and confidence."
Jabir was listening attentively. When the Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) finished, Jabir said: "O son of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) among the Muslims there are very few who possess these qualities."

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir replied: "Allah forbid you imagine that just to claim to love us is enough to be a Shia. No not at all. A person who says I love Imam Ali but doesn't follow Imam Ali in actions is not the Shia of Imam Ali. Similarly, if a person says I love the Holy Prophet Muhammad but doesn't follow the actions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, his claim will be of no use to him."

"O Jabir! Our real friend and Shias are obedient to the commands of Allah, and everyone who is disobedient to Allah is our enemy."

"O Jabir! Always be pious and chaste, and perform good deeds so as to enjoy the blessings of the Paradise. Know that the best and most honourable before Allah are the pious and the chaste."

"O Jabir! Without 'ita'ah' (obedience and submission), nobody can attain proximity to Allah. We do not like them to claim to be our friends if they do not fulfil all the conditions. A sinful person is our enemy. Without good deeds and abstinence from sins, any claim of friendship to us is of no avail."

[Usef.Ali.Husayn]

Born Shi'ite and didn't follow it or the Qur'an but as I grew I knew around the age of (11) that I needed Allah and thus started my crusade for the truth but as I said a long time ago, "what else is there?"

[Inquisitor]

@ Haider Hussain:

Can you please help me with the reference for the hadith you stated below?

Quote

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir , once said to one of his companions: "O Jabir! It is not enough that a person says; I am a Shia and I love the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Prophet Muhammad's family (Ahlul Bayt) and the Imams. By Allah, a Shia is the one who is perfectly pious and obedient to Allah's commands. Anyone else is not a Shia no matter how much they say they love Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and no matter what they call themselves."

"O Jabir! Our Shias are known by these signs:

They are truthful, trustworthy and loyal;
They always remember Allah;
They offer their Prayers, observe fasts, and recite the Holy Qur'an;
They act nicely towards their parents;
They help their neighbours, take care of orphans, and say nothing but good of people;
They are worthy of people's trust and confidence."
Jabir was listening attentively. When the Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) finished, Jabir said: "O son of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) among the Muslims there are very few who possess these qualities."

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir replied: "Allah forbid you imagine that just to claim to love us is enough to be a Shia. No not at all. A person who says I love Imam Ali but doesn't follow Imam Ali in actions is not the Shia of Imam Ali. Similarly, if a person says I love the Holy Prophet Muhammad but doesn't follow the actions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, his claim will be of no use to him."

"O Jabir! Our real friend and Shias are obedient to the commands of Allah, and everyone who is disobedient to Allah is our enemy."

"O Jabir! Always be pious and chaste, and perform good deeds so as to enjoy the blessings of the Paradise. Know that the best and most honourable before Allah are the pious and the chaste."

"O Jabir! Without 'ita'ah' (obedience and submission), nobody can attain proximity to Allah. We do not like them to claim to be our friends if they do not fulfil all the conditions. A sinful person is our enemy. Without good deeds and abstinence from sins, any claim of friendship to us is of no avail."

[Nokare-Zahra]

Born Shia, Alhamdullilah..


Eltemase Doa.

[Jay]

Born Shia. Went to America at young age. Deen was unknown to me (was pretty much an american). went to visit to Imam Hussein . Classic miracle. Become religious.
Story of my life.

[NHGhauth]

Born sunni, become a follower of the ithna ashari nearly 20 years ago and insya Allah will be istiqamah in this, God help me..