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I've been accused of being a closet Muslim for a long time lol --but because of my culture, society, and environment, I have adhered to Christianity But in the last few months it has reached a crisis, and I am writing a letter tonight to my pastor, explaining the situation. I am wondering how Muslims might feel about this, or what insights they might have? My objections to the church have been: 1. Inconsistency when it comes to sin: While we can forgive the libertine and profligate, or even the violent man, we cannot forgive the traitor, the liar, the racist, or the one who embarrasses us, the one who demands closer understanding and attention. Nuance is something alien to modern pastoral efforts. 2. The church does not want to exalt God: The church wants acceptance from society, and the imprimatur of our political officials. In order to expand its reach and influence, it has tacitly absorbed inimical ideas like ethical relativism, radical egalitarianism (Jesus was not egalitarian), or same-sex marriage. There are sects within the evangelical church which have embraced liberation theology, and toss around terms like “social justice” and “white privilege”. And this is done, not out of adherence to scriptural principles, but in order for the church to be fashionable and acceptable. These are innovations and perversions. 3. Basic theological problems regarding the Trinity and other issues--none of which have been worked out. 4. The "feel-good" nature of modern Christianity which does not challenge me, or demand anything from me. There is no sacrifice, no struggle, and no risk. It is passive, shallow, and directionless. --- I feel alienated from my fellow western Christians. My wife is Christian, my kids are indifferent (probably because of the reasons above) I once had a Muslim I barely knew tell me he would fly 2000 miles that night to meet with me and say the shahaadah. I've NEVER had a Christian express such a sentiment, I know this guy meant it. I am not sure where all this would go, but here I am. Maybe like Burton or Lawrence lol. The two men that have been my heroes for my whole life.

I appreciate the concern. Do not worry. When I make my declaration of faith (which I have already done in my heart) it will be public, and it could entail risk I am no longer afraid, and will pray to Allah on this

May Allah bless you and help you in your quest of Islamic knowledge. Brother, if you haven't sent the letter to your pastor, I would say please don't do that. You don't owe him/her any explanation. The pastor could show your letter to church members and the news could spread to the neighborhood and state where you live.

Salam, The art of listening to people is becoming difficult for people lol. Many people are bad listeners - yeah, that can be me at times. When people say something, we need to stop focusing and directing our energy to evaluate their opinions based on our version of the truth. When we don't see opinions for what they are, we lose the joy of being present in the moment. It's always about bringing some past experience or our story. It's difficult, but we gotta train our brain to simply see opinions like floating particles.

Y'all with Engineering Degrees are safe. I come bearing proof. Proof from when I was a decade younger.

I think all of us believe that Prophet Jesus (عليه السلام) gave the life to the dead, cured the blinds etc by the permission of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) Prophet Ibrahim (عليه السلام) did the same with the birds as mentioned in Quran. Asif bin Barqiyah brought the thrown within the blink of an eye without even asking the permission from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). In fact everything mentioned above is possible with the clause "by the permission of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)"

Imam-e-Zamana (عليه السلام) corrects his disciples but their eyes don't see him, he is blessing of Allah (عزّ وجلّ) praise be to Him who waters the barren land, while thinkers think it cannot be fertile again.

Walaikum as salam brother. Yearning, I don't know. But we should certainly be preparing for it by making sure each of our days is better than the previous ones, by avoiding an attachment to this world and it's distractions and by worshipping as if it is our last opportunity to do so. Worship is of course not only on the prayer mat, but in every action we do.

Hi anyway anytime that you reach to conclusion about declaration of your faith then you can declare it in any condition that through expriement of others the presence of a witness is helpful but it's not necessary so you can say the " Shahaadah " by phone & etc or just say it to yourself anyway I hope so that you find the best way.

May Allah strongly help you on this path to ultimate nearness to him. our prayers are with you throughout you journey. It's nice for someone to reach out to the community and show that he/she cares about us and is willing to sacrifice many things along the way.

I'd like to change my name to Abdul-Hadi (worshiper of the guider)

They are strictly a threatening and violence based group. And arresting them is the mildest form of what should be done.

Antifas claim to be antifascits while they use fascist methods. They are violent thugs who must be arrested.

Have you seen social media lately? Everybody and their brother is claiming to be "CEO of antifa". It's just an excuse to arrest anyone who doesn't toe the line. Heck, I'm a pacifist and I seriously could be arrested as antifa due to some of my work with community organizations. All I want to do is make sure everyone has a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If they come get me, shiachat will never know....

I have a deep attachment to my name. I will never change my name. Never Imam Ali (عليه السلام) was the father of orphans - that's what inspired me in the early days (it still does) before I joined Shiachat. The name always gets to me and brings a tear or two.

Coup Warning ? Or just her pompus, pseudo-intellectual mouth ? Before getting the TV channel changed, l heard the opening remarks by C. Amanpour & Co. She said in near-quote, "that like with the Berlin Wall, South Africa (protests), and Cairo and the 'Arab Spring' overturning gov'ts, we are witnessing the same here in America."

I think a better way is to understand or build your understanding of death, what is death? Death is mentioned as "certainty" (Yaqeen) in Holy Quran. It is also mentioned in the book of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) "to wish for death (fatamanna'ul mowt), if you're truthful". So these two things i.e., certainty & truthfulness are somehow related with the concept of death which itself is a truth. If we look at death, what it actually do to us! It takes us to higher level of life, to the everlasting, real life known as hayawan. The trial of this limited worldly life is breathtaking, its severe, it throws us in ghaflat within no time. If one become certain & truthful in this limited worldly life then death means nothing but a gift for him which takes him more closer to the everlasting blessings & bounties of Almighty Lord. He already achieved the goal in his limited worldly life for which death has been created.

Ok one example: how many muslimeen are willing to accept a white convert as a son in law? I don't say it doesn't happen, and with time it will hopefully become more common, but a lot of people unfortunately haven't recognized the universal nature of islam and still see it as a cultural heritage.

It is illegal for members of the US military to obey illegal orders. If they are given an order, even if by the Commander in Chief, and it violates national, state, or local law, or UCMJ, they are obligated to refuse to obey. If a servicemember obeys an illegal order, he or she is accountable under UCMJ. Of course enforcement depends on who wins the civil war. The president just gassed a group of peaceful protesters so that he could pose for a picture holding a bible in front of a church. That would be an example of following an illegal order.

Did you read the news story?

Power is something all races can have irrespective of the social construct of the time/era/demographic and such power can be used in a prejudiced manner; therefore whites can experience racism.

I've seen videos of more and more police laying down their military gear and joining in the protest marches. One can certainly question their sincerity, but it's a good development nonetheless - either they are admitting that police actions have been wrong, or they are acknowledging that they can't win. I hope to see a lot more of it. If I were still in the military, I would refuse to follow the illegal order to harass and fire upon US civilians. I hope most members of the military know that following illegal orders is a crime punishable by imprisonment in a military prison along with dishonorable discharge.

Once you add 'by the permission of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)' you have essentially opened up every possibility because Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has no limits. To believe that something is not possible despite the permission of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is essentially kufr.

@Logic1234 We are all fallible, brother, and in need of God's mercy. Yet, our Lord is Merciful. His mercy is vaster than our sins. The Prophet صلّی الله عليه وآله وسلم says, الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمن، ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء Those who are kind to others, God will be kind to them; Be kind to those on earth; and He who is in heaven will be kind to you!

Conspiracies don't need to be the default explanation for everything. You should encourage your mind to consider alternate explanations.

I feel the same. Great support and answers from other Shia chatters. Sometime when I was lost or needed answers found everything here

Assalamu Alaikum, This site has been a great blessing, the people involved in it are great, the community, everything! Alhamdulillah through this community so many of my questions have been answered (Not just directly but also through other people asking similar questions). Like at so many times, i felt like losing hope only for it to be revived almost instantaneously. You guys mashAllah are very knowledgeable, and through you guys Allah has helped me. InshAllah, you will be able to have the same impact on me to other Shias around the world looking for answers. Jazakum Allah

Reminder that the conviction rate for cops who kill unarmed people is even worse than that of soldiers in the US military and the latter is already pretty bad. I think ya'll need to separate the riots from the protesters, a lot of the rioters are actually rightwingers hijacking this movement.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WhoseBricksAreThese/

"holding authorities to account" This is a nothing platatude. Yes, seriously. By what measure? What is better is: Where are the inadequacies in public safety procedures? l heard over the weekend some police departments train their officers to knee-on-neck people. Non-violent included.

I think It's easier said than done. I'm doubtful of a change in the status quo, but hopeful these protests could at the very least start holding authorities to account on their excessive use of force.

Many people act according to jealousy, if you observe them. I would call them foolish people, those who engage in jealousy, al-Hasad: It is a serous illness which Shaykh Abdul Jaleel addressed in his speech: Why some people are jealous? -they fear that they don’t become as successful as another person -they seek position and push aside people of whom they think they are more talented -hatred for someone The Holy Prophet of Islam (s) said, “All people are jealous,” and “Jealousy doesn’t harm the jealous person if he doesn’t speak or act based on his jealousy.” To remove jealousy from your heard need hard effort and can be compared to physical exercise in the gym but is more important than physical exercise as it affects both the body and the soul. You can only achieve results when you exercise regularly and for a long-term period. What people can do to remove jealousy which is a part of foolishness: -Educate yourself -change perspectives to remove your fear. -Try to understanding things -accept that people have qualities, which made them achieve something -you can't change destiny of a person -realize that jealousy keeps you away from your own goals as your mind gets busy with other thoughts than your own when you are jealous -Put a bowl over the fire of jealousy to quiet it. If you put a bowl over a fire, air won’t reach it. So, if jealousy springs up in your heart, ignore it. Let it be stifled. If someone is a notorious fool, you should simply keep away from him. People cannot see people’s intentions but they can see their deeds and recognize people by it. Prophet Mohammad said: "The example of believers in their harmony, mercy and sympathy among each other and for each other is like a single body, as if a body part becomes ill, rest of the body will suffer and feel the pain as well".

0300 News The "iconic" Macy's store in Manhatten was looted during rioting last night. Terence Monahan, Chief of Departments, NYPD "takes a knee with protesters" as an act of "solidarity". Other police departments do as well: https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/06/02/nypd-officers-take-knee-in-solidarity-with-protesters-de-blasio-praises-them-for-listening-working-with-community/ (OPINE: Your Demoncratic Party at work) China is now haw-hawing US "police brutality allegations" after it was so criticized about Hong Kong. ADDED: Voters in 8 states and the District of Columbia go to the polls today. OPINE: Demoncrats and ANTIFA pushed these riots as a political strategem.

Surah 5:78 “Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.” also the 7 woes that Jesus said to Pharisees infront of their face. after the prophet appointed imam Ali as Caliph at ghadir khumm many people did not like that and the prophet heard, so the prophet gave an order to fight the Romans and said lanatullah on the one who doesn’t go fight (I ask you did the prophet ever force someone to go to war in the past before this?) not only did the prophet order to fight the Romans but the commander of the army was a 18 yr old.... and guess who didn’t go to war to fight the Romans......(drum roll) OMAR,ABU BAKER & OTHMAN, so the prophet did send Lanat on them. If the prophet sent Lanat on them that means Allah withdrew His mercy from them. So it is Sunnah of the prophet that he sent Lanat on the disloyal ones such as the three stooges. Sending Lanat is not a curse rather it’s a supplication. Why not go to Fatimah? “I take Allah and the angles to by my witnesses that you have not pleased me; on the other hand, you have angered me. When i shall meet the Prophet I will complain about you two” Sunni references: al-Imamah wal-Siyasah, by Ibn Qutaybah, v1, p14 Abu baker said: I take refuge in Allah from his discontent and your discontent O’Fatimah! ; but she said: I swear by Allah that I shall invoked Allah against you in every prayer I do! Sunni references: Ibn qutaybah, in al-Imamah wal-Siyasah

Salam you must make up your prayers.

There is no good Bid'ah in our beliefs

The prophets character has been altered by Ahlulbid’ah wal Jama’a , so to know the prophets true character on should look towards the prophets reflection imam ali

First of all, your disclaimer is one of the most intellectually insulting things I've ever read. Why? Because it's not just this website that speaks against Ibn Taymiyyah which most of them are equally valid, but this idea that Shias WANT to control people's free thinking. Who are YOU to make such a wild accusation against Shias controlling free thinking when most Sunnis who support Wahhabism/Salaafism are no different. No self-respecting Human Being CAN really control Free Thinking. Because it is absolutely impossible. You are entitled to live up to your opinions and experiences with pride, but that doesn't excuse DIFFERENT people to criticize your opinions and experiences which they are also ENTITLED to. Just be good and mature-minded at self-defending your arguments against such criticisms. If you disagree with most of the views of Ibn Taymiyyah on this website then OK then, let's play your game. Let's use Quora and find intelligent users for what they have to say about Ibn Taymiyyah, Specifically at this quote from the Quora link Also, take a look at these websites (on top of me quoting the entire article of that website link) as well that talks about the Sunni-Wahhabi/Salaafi Islamic Terrorism and their connection to Ibn Taymiyyah with respect to his works from the likes of Minhaj Al-Sunna and Majmu Al Fatawa, http://ijtihadnet.com/ibn-taymiyyah-founder-terrorist-groups/ http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/266/html If there is ONE thing I can say positive and respectful about Ibn Taymiyyah is that he truly lived up to the philosophy, "The Pen is Mightier than The Sword" Which is why as an Islamic scholar he used his intellect to spread his Nasibi views against Prophet Muhammad (SAW)'s Family [The Ahlul-Bayt]. Remember Muslims, this is an Islamic Scholar declared as "Sheikh ul Islam" by the Wahhabis/Salaafis who would KILL ANY MUSLIM if you disagree with his 'views' about what Islam is to him according to his work Majmu Al Fatawa as quoted on the website link ijtihad.net. No wonder why ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram use Ibn Taymiyyah's works to justify their killings of Muslims and Non-Muslims alike.

Racism is racism, doesn't matter who the perpetrator is and who the victim is. Anti white racism does exist, muslims should know this since many of them are guilty of it.

Interesting photo shared in cyberspace outside of Iran / Comparing moral treatment of Shiite scholar with behavior of US police! https://en.abna24.com/news//interesting-photo-shared-in-cyberspace-outside-of-iran-comparing-moral-treatment-of-shiite-scholar-with-behavior-of-us-police_1042072.html

The books of nawasib should only be studied by the learned of the hawza, commoners don’t have enough Islamic knowledge to counter the arguments and thoughts presented in such works. I personally have read Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (منهاج السنة النبوية), and it hasn’t convinced me at all to leave orthodox (Shia) Islam, contrary to that, I find the arguments presented by Ibn Taymiyyah in his work to be carefully constructed but relatively easily refutable. In turn, his work was refuted in numerous scholarly and lay books. Brother Toyib Olawuyi, a well know ex-Sunni Nigerian Shi’ite polemicist, put under scrutiny Ibn Taymiyyah’s work in a series of his own books. Ibn Taymiyyah narrated unauthentic ahadith as authentic to push his point of view on Shia Muslims. I figured it out, for example, by reading al-Sarim al-Maslul ‘ala Shatim al-Rasul, on page 582 he narrates alleged hadith from Imam Ali (عليه السلام) that the Prophet Muhammad ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) stated that whoever kills a Rafidah he will be in Jannah. In short, Ibn Taymiyyah as a source of it gives Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal without citing full chains of narrators, so it’s impossible to trace them. But the hadith wasn’t a part of the original work of Ibn Hanbal, it was added to it by Ibn Hanbal’s son, Abdurrahman, who is well known for adding weak and fabricated narrations to his father’s work, that’s why Musnad never made it to the canonical corpus of Sunni ahadith.

Salaam Alykum, About me: I am single male 28 years old turning 29 this year from Canada originally Arab; currently entering my 2nd year into my College program (3 year program). The plan and goal: I plan to go to Qom, Iran for Hawza after I have finished my program inshallah. I am currently doing Hawza online to prepare me for studies there. My goal is to apply before I complete my program so by the time I finish my program the application will be done inshallah. (This would not be the case if they let me enter after 30 years of age). My questions: - What is the age limit? I have read somewhere online it said 30 years old but it said for Indian students which I am not. If this is true I worry I will be too old to enter and this has been a goal of mine to go for years. - Do I have to go to Iran to do my application? Or even later to do any assessments? If so what is that process like? - I entered College as mature student as I have not completed high-school due to health reasons but nonetheless I entered college alhamdillah. I say that to say I don't have any education background completed yet but I am in the process of obtaining my diploma. On the application can I mention this? How would this effect my application? Things to note: I have good rational reasons to go to Qom so I am not looking for suggestions to go elsewhere I've thought this through. I have watched online videos and also read blogs of life in Qom and have an idea of how life is there. There are no burdens if I leave Canada to live there alhamdillah. Conclusion: I want someone with connections in Qom Hawza or is a current/previous Hawza student to please assist me with my process or give me suggestions on how to best apply with all my background info put into consideration. I apologize for the lengthy post, it would mean the world to me if anyone can help, thank you.

Taboo for whom? The ignorant? Her alarm is Islamically unjustifiable. There’s really no more to it. On the fiqh, jurisprudential rulings, we do taqlid to the maraji’. If she is so worried about marrying a brother who previously was married, she should contact the office of her marja’ and ask about it. Her deen can be questioned if she is religiously ignorant on such a basic matters. Her opinion doesn’t matter in regard to the Islamic jurisprudence, she isn’t a marja’. She can marry him and there’s no more to it.

Walaikum Assalam, Hope you're well. Sorry for the late response. Thank you for sharing your entire story as well. I'm glad to know that you have a good support system and a kind husband, that probably makes all the difference in the world. I can relate very strongly with how you've described feeling like a different person at times. This is something that concerns me a lot as I don't feel like myself at times and it's very difficult as I become so emotionally fragile and vulnerable and keep having weeping episodes. As for the coping mechanisms and schedule that I mentioned, it's not like I follow it consistently, in fact, it's very hard to keep it up. I follow it for a few days, then I have a particularly difficult day and I lose all momentum and then have to try and build it all over again which takes a lot of time and energy. My situation is a bit complicated, in that, I've been in hospital for a long time. Ever since my manic episode, I couldn't be discharged because I don't have family where I am living and I wasn't in the position to live by myself as well. I was making progress towards a discharge slowly but the lock down with Covid has been a big obstacle towards my recovery. I do have a few friends, but it hasn't been possible to meet them due to the restrictions. My family is absolutely wonderful in how they've supported me so far and continue to do so. I am blessed to have a wonderful wife who has been extremely helpful, supportive and patient throughout this difficult time. Unfortunately, none of them are here in person so I have to rely on video calls. I hope things improve with time. It's encouraging for me to hear that your mood swings have almost gone, gives me hope that I need to give myself some more time and once I have some support in person, my wife or my family, things will get better. Yes, it's not a bad idea to post here once in a while to get updates from each other and maybe share things/strategies that are of help. Have you felt that since your diagnosis it's gotten difficult for you to take on responsibilities? E.g. work or family related. It's commendable that you have a son MashaAllah, but do you feel any different, like less confident or more anxious about taking responsibility compared to prior to your diagnosis? Kind regards, Khudi

Was interested in writing poems as a hobby and was wondering if anyone can help in critiquing my first poem and provide me with valuable insight on how I can improve it and also take note for future endeavors. Faces grow old and decay; Bodies become feeble and wither away; Hope built on the temporal being dissipates as the pendulum swings everyday; A spark in the heart ignites the soul; A volcano erupts; The pupils become dilated from the fire within; Molten lava overflows; The body becomes a furnace and shapes a bowl; An empty vessel hoping to gain respite; Receives poison instead of light.

Not a good way in depicting and lamenting the tragedies of the Ahlul Bayt

Sallam, I am replying from my main account. Thank you very much for helping me! May Allah reward you,

Mining, minerals, the usual. I'd worry about it going like this http://www.ushistory.org/us/2c.asp But if I had no family, I'd volunteer to go. I'd love to be on the design team for the bubble village.

What about Risalat-ul-Huqooq (Treatise of Rights) by Imam Zain al Abideen (عليه السلام)? It's a very short book and consists of 50 rights that discuss the rights of God, rights of your body, right of action, rights of leaders or people in authority, right of dependents, rights of family, rights of fellow Muslims/non-Muslims, etc. I have a hard copy of it at home and it's a very short and easy read. I would definitely recommend this book for everyone to read. Through a quick Google search, I was able to find it online here: http://www.iislamic.org/risalatul-huqooq This site has the rights organized by number and "category", so instead of scrolling up and down the page looking for a specific right, you can find each one by looking under the specific subheading and clicking on the link for it listed on the left side. I think this site also lets you save its content as pdf files. http://www.al-islam.org/treatise-rights-risalat-al-huquq-imam-zain-ul-abideen/treatise-rights