Want To Believe In Allah (swt), But I Can't

[DestinationUnknown]

Not really sure how to start this off, but for the past few years I've been struggling with my faith. It seems that the only way I was able to truly believe in Allah (s.w.t) and indeed god in general was by taking everything I was told at face value instead of investigating further. After many years I began to realize that there were just too many questions that I couldn't answer and a lot of hand-waviness in regards to the answers I did come up with. Despite saying all this I've never been more at ease than when I believed in God, and I truly wish to once again believe in him. So if it is okay with everybody I would like to pose a few questions that have troubled me.

1) My first question is about the miracle of the sun going back so that Imam Ali (as) would not miss his prayer. During this time there were tons of people around the world who had taken interest in the sun and indeed astronomy in general. If such a miracle had happened then it would've been seen everywhere else on earth as well. Given how easy it is to notice something like that you would expect to hear about it in history books from all over the world and yet the only place we hear about it is in ahadith.

2) My second point is about Duas in general. If Islam is indeed the true religion then we would expect that the prayers of Muslims would be accepted more often than that of non-muslims/non-believers. If this is the case then we should expect to see higher remission rates in diseases like cancer for Muslim populations when compared to non-muslim populations assuming that the treatments given and numerous other factors are the same for both groups. This is not the case either, or at least a quick search of the literature did not reveal it to be the case. 

3) I understand that sometimes Duas are not accepted because they are not asked from the heart; however, across the Ummah we see muslims everywhere praying for the situation in Syria and yet the situation still remains grim. One could argue that perhaps one or two people are not genuine in their prayers, but if every single person who asks for peace does not have his/her prayer answered then it seems that the criteria to have one's prayer accepted is simply too strict or that there is no one listening to the prayers at all.

I'm sorry if my questions are harsh in tone but believe me when I say I'm here to ask for help, not to belittle the very ideas that I so desperately want to believe in once again.

Regards,

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

23 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

) My first question is about the miracle of the sun going back so that Imam Ali (as) would not miss his prayer. During this time there were tons of people around the world who had taken interest in the sun and indeed astronomy in general. If such a miracle had happened then it would've been seen everywhere else on earth as well. Given how easy it is to notice something like that you would expect to hear about it in history books from all over the world and yet the only place we hear about it is in ahadith.

Are there time zones on Earth? Or you think sun shines everywhere on earth equally and there is no night & day concept?

Is there a possibility that because of heavy clouds, one remains unable to detect that miracle? 

A normal healthy man takes maximum 5 minutes to finish 4 raka'h prayers. A 5-10 minute reversal of sun is not that big event that it can catch the attention of people of the area (leave aside the people of the whole world).

This miracle is reported in a hadith, but a more big miracle is mentioned in Quran:

Surah Al-Qamar, Verse 1:
اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

The hour drew nigh and the moon did rend asunder.
(English - Shakir)

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

6 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

If Islam is indeed the true religion then we would expect that the prayers of Muslims would be accepted more often than that of non-muslims/non-believers.

lets see few verses now:

Surah Al-Isra, Verse 18:
مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا

Whoever desires this present life, We hasten to him therein what We please for whomsoever We desire, then We assign to him the hell; he shall enter it despised, driven away.
(English - Shakir)

Surah Al-Isra, Verse 19:
وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا

And whoever desires the hereafter and strives for it as he ought to strive and he is a believer; (as for) these, their striving shall surely be accepted.
(English - Shakir)

Surah Al-Isra, Verse 20:
كُلًّا نُّمِدُّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مِنْ عَطَاءِ رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاءُ رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا

All do We aid-- these as well as those-- out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined.
(English - Shakir)

I have presented before you these verse with a prayer that may Allah (s.w.t) enlighten your heart. 

Don't try to confine the bounty of Allah (s.w.t). He is the Rabbul Aalameen.

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

7 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

however, across the Ummah we see muslims everywhere praying for the situation in Syria and yet the situation still remains grim. One could argue that perhaps one or two people are not genuine in their prayers, but if every single person who asks for peace does not have his/her prayer answered then it seems that the criteria to have one's prayer accepted is simply too strict or that there is no one listening to the prayers at all.

What humans really are doing in Syria? Are they really working to bring peace & praying sincerely for peace? Are you so unaware of the situation of Syria?

Again a verse of Quran is addressing you:

Surah Ar-Room, Verse 41:
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, so that they may return.
(English - Shakir)

[realizm]

Brother, are you really doubting the existence of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى - not sure why you made the distinction with God in general since Muslims know they are the same- because of some tradition which is not even relevant to the issue? 

[Guest]

@DestinationUnknown Do you believe in Quran? Have you heard of the miracle of the splitting of the moon. 

The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two](54:1)

@Salsabeel mentioned the verse above but I woukd also like to quote the verse following it

And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, "Passing magic." (54:2) 

How many times have you seen or heard this phenomenon being reported in history books? Do you think it's a possibility that things like these were purposely brushed off as being magic to stop people from converting to islam?

[MohammadAli1993]

SalamAlaykum brother/sister 

May Allah bless you. I can relate with you a lot actually. I'm a type of person who likes to always ask question since answers are a source of comfort for me. When I have no answer to my question then it sometimes frustrates me to such an extend that I get actually moody. I know it should terrible but thats me. 

Now to your first question brother/sister. Personally I have not pondered about the Question just because I don't find salvation from this Question. If that Event has occurred or not. It really doesn't have an effect on me. 

Allah existence doesn't depend on such an occurrence to begin with. He exists because He does. That's the simplest way I can put it. 

2 & 3 Now to your second question and third. Personally again this question cannot be black and white in answer. You must remember that the Hearer of All our Duas is the Almighty The All Hearing. 

We do not sit on His Throne. Nor are we able to look through the hearts of Mankind. Trust me my brother and sister. Duas are accepted but you might not be able to see how or when they are accepted. So you cannot just jump into conclusion and say Allah doesn't exist because He doesn't do A or B the way you expect it to be. 

I highly recommend you to either Study the Quran or speak to a Sheikh you know that has the time to speak to u. And make sure you speak to him. HEART TO HEART. It does wonders and trust me. It does.

I used to ask questions after questions after questions. I still do however my approach has changed completely after several sessions with a scholar. Now I feel a lot more calmer and am able to not jump into conclusions so quick. 

Concentrate more on being a better person and to help the community and the poor. Remember that your questions being answered won't benefit you in your grave. Death is the ultimate truth and don't let questions that have been unanswered to shred your Faith away. Only your Faith and your Deeds are a means of Salvation after your Death. 

From a humble servant of yours. 

Now enjoy a hot cup Of Tea. 

Stay blessed 

[Intellectual Resistance]

23 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

1) My first question is about the miracle of the sun going back so that Imam Ali (as) would not miss his prayer. During this time there were tons of people around the world who had taken interest in the sun and indeed astronomy in general. If such a miracle had happened then it would've been seen everywhere else on earth as well. Given how easy it is to notice something like that you would expect to hear about it in history books from all over the world and yet the only place we hear about it is in ahadith.

Walaykumsalaam.

On 6/12/2012 at 7:34 PM, Nader Zaveri said:

(salam)

(bismillah)

al-Majlisi compiled all the hadeeth regarding the returning of the sun as one of the miracles of Imam `Ale (as). Please refer to al-Majlisi's Bihaar al-Anwaar, vol. 41, ch. 109 - Returning the Sun for him, pg 166-191.

`Aasif al-Muhsini, who has graded every hadeeth in Bihaar al-Anwaar, in his Mashra`ah Bihaar al-Anwaar, he doesn't reject this miracle, but he says the details of these events contradict each other, the reasons for him returning the sun contradict each other, also the number of times the sun returned for Imaam `Alee (as) differs. (See: `Aasif al-Muhsini, Mashra`ah Bihaar al-Anwaar, 2 vols., (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Maṭbū`āt, 2nd, 1426/2005), vol. 2, pg. 121-122).

By looking at all the chains in the chapter, I do not find any chains that have a Authentic sanad. And Allaah Knows Best.

(salam)

[DestinationUnknown]

I realized I should've clarified this in my initial post, but my issue is that if I am to once again believe in Islam, I should not find even 1 fault or contradiction in it. I think I cannot and should not have to brush certain things under the rug just to keep my faith strong. So the 3 questions I've provided were just an examples of questions that were salient at the time. 

15 hours ago, Salsabeel said:

lets see few verses now:

Surah Al-Isra, Verse 18:
مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا

Whoever desires this present life, We hasten to him therein what We please for whomsoever We desire, then We assign to him the hell; he shall enter it despised, driven away.
(English - Shakir)

Surah Al-Isra, Verse 19:
وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا

And whoever desires the hereafter and strives for it as he ought to strive and he is a believer; (as for) these, their striving shall surely be accepted.
(English - Shakir)

Surah Al-Isra, Verse 20:
كُلًّا نُّمِدُّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مِنْ عَطَاءِ رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاءُ رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا

All do We aid-- these as well as those-- out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined.
(English - Shakir)

I have presented before you these verse with a prayer that may Allah (s.w.t) enlighten your heart. 

Don't try to confine the bounty of Allah (s.w.t). He is the Rabbul Aalameen.

These verses are indeed beautiful, but they do nothing to really address my question. My question is that if it is true that Islam is indeed the true religion, then we should find that countries with a higher proportion of Muslims should have higher success rates in curing diseases/medical procedures because the power of Dua should give them an edge over those from other countries who may have the same medical interventions available, but do not pray to the correct god.

15 hours ago, Salsabeel said:

What humans really are doing in Syria? Are they really working to bring peace & praying sincerely for peace? Are you so unaware of the situation of Syria?

Again a verse of Quran is addressing you:

Surah Ar-Room, Verse 41:
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, so that they may return.
(English - Shakir)

Fair enough, some people may not sincerely wish for peace. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى is infinitely powerful so even if one muslim prays sincerely from his/her heart it should be enough to have an effect. So of all the muslims that are currently praying for syria, or are praying for the return of imam, or are praying for shifaa for their sick muslim brothers and sisters, at least one should be pure enough to have his/her prayer accepted. If there isn't even one muslim whose Dua is accepted then either we have to say that the criteria for one's dua to be accepted is too harsh or that perhaps there is no one listening to the prayers.

14 hours ago, realizm said:

Brother, are you really doubting the existence of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى - not sure why you made the distinction with God in general since Muslims know they are the same- because of some tradition which is not even relevant to the issue? 

Sorry, I've clarified above. Basically the issue is that a perfect religion should have answers to every possible question and if the answers don't fully satisfy me then I'm not okay with just sweeping the inconsistencies under the proverbial rug. Furthermore I mentioned "God" separately from Allah (s.w.t) for a reason that I also didn't explicitly bring up. Since my belief in Allah (s.w.t) has been weakened I haven't simply just adopted a generic god to fill his place. So as of now I don't think I've found any reason to believe that there is a God who wants me to follow a religion, whether or not there is a creator at all is something I don't think I know.

13 hours ago, starlight said:

@DestinationUnknown Do you believe in Quran? Have you heard of the miracle of the splitting of the moon. 

The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two](54:1)

@Salsabeel mentioned the verse above but I woukd also like to quote the verse following it

And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, "Passing magic." (54:2) 

How many times have you seen or heard this phenomenon being reported in history books? Do you think it's a possibility that things like these were purposely brushed off as being magic to stop people from converting to islam?

Well I don't believe in the Quran as a historical source to prove such a miracle, I'm more looking for external historical sources. Once again the splitting of the moon is one of those huge miracles that should've been seen by people around the world, it's a bit peculiar that it's only been noted in ahadith.

It may have been possible for those in the immediate geographical area to try to purposely conceal such a miracle; so their father's religions would continue to flourish; however, how could those on the other side of the world associate the miracle with Prophet Muhammad (saw)? They didn't try to conceal solar/lunar eclipses back then just because it seemed miraculous, these kinds of natural phenomena are well documented in history and weren't hidden just because they seemed divine.To those in other parts of the world the returning of the sun could just be another natural phenomenon that they wanted to explain, they would have no reason to hide it unless somebody sent a messenger to travel to the other side of the world just to say "you saw the sun move back? That was our Imam's doing". Even then they would still record the phenomenon while omitting the fact that somebody claimed it was his/her miracle, they have no reason to omit the occurrence as a whole.

9 hours ago, MohammadAli1993 said:

SalamAlaykum brother/sister 

May Allah bless you. I can relate with you a lot actually. I'm a type of person who likes to always ask question since answers are a source of comfort for me. When I have no answer to my question then it sometimes frustrates me to such an extend that I get actually moody. I know it should terrible but thats me. 

Now to your first question brother/sister. Personally I have not pondered about the Question just because I don't find salvation from this Question. If that Event has occurred or not. It really doesn't have an effect on me. 

Allah existence doesn't depend on such an occurrence to begin with. He exists because He does. That's the simplest way I can put it. 

2 & 3 Now to your second question and third. Personally again this question cannot be black and white in answer. You must remember that the Hearer of All our Duas is the Almighty The All Hearing. 

We do not sit on His Throne. Nor are we able to look through the hearts of Mankind. Trust me my brother and sister. Duas are accepted but you might not be able to see how or when they are accepted. So you cannot just jump into conclusion and say Allah doesn't exist because He doesn't do A or B the way you expect it to be. 

I highly recommend you to either Study the Quran or speak to a Sheikh you know that has the time to speak to u. And make sure you speak to him. HEART TO HEART. It does wonders and trust me. It does.

I used to ask questions after questions after questions. I still do however my approach has changed completely after several sessions with a scholar. Now I feel a lot more calmer and am able to not jump into conclusions so quick. 

Concentrate more on being a better person and to help the community and the poor. Remember that your questions being answered won't benefit you in your grave. Death is the ultimate truth and don't let questions that have been unanswered to shred your Faith away. Only your Faith and your Deeds are a means of Salvation after your Death. 

From a humble servant of yours. 

Now enjoy a hot cup Of Tea. 

Stay blessed 

I appreciate the approach brother, but none of the answers have actually been answered. Just because a question doesn't bring you to salvation doesn't mean you should just not address it. If something brings me away from the path, I need it to be addressed, I can't just conveniently disregard what the logical part of my brain is telling me.

What I mentioned above does allow one to see whether or not duas are accepted. It's a simple concept, given two groups of people, one group who has the power of dua and one who does not, the group with the power of Dua should have statistically higher rates of being cured of diseases. When we compare large numbers of people then the whole caveat of "maybe this one person wasnt a good muslim so the dua wasn't accepted" gets thrown out the window because that can't possibly be the case for every single person in the group we're looking at.

16 hours ago, Salsabeel said:

Are there time zones on Earth? Or you think sun shines everywhere on earth equally and there is no night & day concept?

Is there a possibility that because of heavy clouds, one remains unable to detect that miracle? 

A normal healthy man takes maximum 5 minutes to finish 4 raka'h prayers. A 5-10 minute reversal of sun is not that big event that it can catch the attention of people of the area (leave aside the people of the whole world).

This miracle is reported in a hadith, but a more big miracle is mentioned in Quran:

Surah Al-Qamar, Verse 1:
اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

The hour drew nigh and the moon did rend asunder.
(English - Shakir)

There is a concept of day and night. In fact somewhere on earth the sun likely had just set 5-10 minutes ago, so at such a place when the sun moved back because of the miracle it would have went from pitch black night, to sunset which is a very noticeable change. Furthermore, I think the narrations imply that the sun was moved so Imam Ali (as) was able to offer his prayer on time, not "5-10 mins" before it would become Qada. This would suggest the movement would have been very noticeable. 

7 hours ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

Walaykumsalaam.

Thanks, I appreciate you actually answering the question and that too in a satisfactory manner. This still leaves the issue of Prophet Muhammad (saw) splitting the moon and nobody else on earth noticing.  

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

7 hours ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

By looking at all the chains in the chapter, I do not find any chains that have a Authentic sanad. And Allaah Knows Best.

Unfortunately, your opinion on this matter is not important for us. Neither your Mr. Nader Zaveri is any scholar of Rijal. Lets see the hadith first:

"In one account, al-Shaykh al-Mufid narrates from Asma' bt. 'Umays, Umm Salama the wife of the Prophet (s), Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and some other companions of the Prophet (s) that: one day, the holy Prophet (s) sent Imam 'Ali (a) for a job and when he returned, it was the time for 'Asr prayer. The Prophet (s) was not aware that Imam 'Ali (a) had not prayed his 'Asr prayer, so he rested while his head was on Imam 'Ali’s leg. At the same time revelation was sent down to the Prophet (s) and it continued until near the sunset. When the Prophet (s) finished receiving the revelation, He asked Imam 'Ali (a) whether or not he had prayed his 'Asr prayer. "Since your blessed head was on my leg and you were resting, I couldn't wake you up." Imam 'Ali (a) responded. The Prophet (s) asked God to return the sun so that Imam 'Ali (a) can pray his 'Asr prayer. In that moment, the sun came back to the extent that it was the proper time for 'Asr prayer and Imam 'Ali (a) performed his 'Asr prayer." (Mufid, al-Irshad, vol1 p.346)

http://en.wikishia.net/view/Radd_al-Shams#cite_ref-1

In this link you will find both Sunni & Shia references of this hadith. 

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

27 minutes ago, DestinationUnknown said:

My question is that if it is true that Islam is indeed the true religion, then we should find that countries with a higher proportion of Muslims should have higher success rates in curing diseases/medical procedures because the power of Dua should give them an edge over those from other countries who may have the same medical interventions available, but do not pray to the correct god.

The basis of your question was that:
 

22 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

My second point is about Duas in general. If Islam is indeed the true religion then we would expect that the prayers of Muslims would be accepted more often than that of non-muslims/non-believers.

You expect prayers of Muslims to be accepted more often than the non-believers . So everyone would become a believer by now.

Now coming to your new post, do you really think there is a higher proportion of "Muslims" in this world? How many of them act in accordance with the commands of Allah (s.w.t), His Apostle (S) and the Ahlul Bayt (asws)? At the moment, if you ask from any Muslim about the character of majority of Muslims, he will tell you with full confidence that majority have abandoned the teachings of Quran & Holy Prophet (S). So expecting that Allah (s.w.t) will accept the dua's of those who have killed the Ahlul Bayt (asws) & trying desperately to spread mischief on earth, doing every sort of corruption & disobedience, is absurd. 

50 minutes ago, DestinationUnknown said:

Fair enough, some people may not sincerely wish for peace. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى is infinitely powerful so even if one muslim prays sincerely from his/her heart it should be enough to have an effect. So of all the muslims that are currently praying for syria, or are praying for the return of imam, or are praying for shifaa for their sick muslim brothers and sisters, at least one should be pure enough to have his/her prayer accepted.

If Allah (s.w.t) is not accepting the Dua's of people, they would have perished till now with hunger & mischief. The majority is insisting on disobedience & mischief, it at least satisfy my intellect as the reason why majority of humans will be thrown into hell. The aim of pious people is the hereafter, they don't drown themselves into the adornment of this worldly life and strive for their well being in hereafter. 

There are recorded cases where people got shifa, their prayers being answered, their needs being fulfilled. I am one of them & Alhamdolillah can say with surety that Allah has accepted many of my prayers. Last time, when I asked from Him a son who will be the helper & supporter of Imam of our time (asws), He has accepted my prayer and have granted me the son, I have named him "Hassan".

 Allah (s.w.t) has said this in Quran:

وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
"And helping the believers is ever incumbent on us" (30:47) 

كَذَلِكَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نُنجِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
"even so (now), it is binding on Us (that) We deliver the believers" (10:103) 

Promise of nasr & nijaat is there. We therefore never despair with the mercy of Allah (s.w.t). He do listen to our prayers & help us, grant us the shifa & success, give us the sustenance. There is no doubt about it.

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

8 hours ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

Aasif al-Muhsini, who has graded every hadeeth in Bihaar al-Anwaar, in his Mashra`ah Bihaar al-Anwaar, he doesn't reject this miracle, but he says the details of these events contradict each other, the reasons for him returning the sun contradict each other, also the number of times the sun returned for Imaam `Alee (as) differs. (See: `Aasif al-Muhsini, Mashra`ah Bihaar al-Anwaar, 2 vols., (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Maṭbū`āt, 2nd, 1426/2005), vol. 2, pg. 121-122).

By looking at all the chains in the chapter, I do not find any chains that have a Authentic sanad. And Allaah Knows Best.

 

Here is a reference from old testament: 

The day the sun stood still:
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sunstood still and the moon stopped until the nationtook vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not writtenin the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down almost a full day.” There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man

http://biblehub.com/joshua/10-13.htm

So the Sun & the Moon stayed in place, this miracle happened well before Prophet Muhammad (S). I don't know why people want proof from us about the splitting of moon when they have seen in the history many miracles? Now its time to quote the verse posted by sister @starlight:

And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, "Passing magic." (54:2) 

Edited June 4, 2018 by Salsabeel

[MohammadAli1993]

There is no correlation between ones Duas being accepted or not and the existence of The Creator. 

Allah SWT has planned since the beginning of mankind to bring peace and justice on this Earth via The Imam of Our Time Ajtfs. So do not lose hope and keep praying. 

In my honest opinion brother, this shouldn't even affect your Imaan. Please don't jump into conclusions so quick. I know very that you having doubts for years now but that is still to soon to make a conclusion that Allah doesn't exist. 

Allah SWT also says in the Quran that if He would to punish us for every sin then no human beings would be alive on this earth today. 

Clearly shows that His Mercy is still upon us. 

[PureExistence1]

As salaamun aleikum,

All i can think of is if this event DID occur, it would mean that the Earth actually stopped moving, not that the sun went backwards. This is similar to the hadith that says the sun will rise in the west..What would happen if the Earth was to stop orbitting and/or spinning??

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, shia farm girl said:

What would happen if the Earth was to stop orbitting and/or spinning??

Havoc, total destruction! That's how  I believe Qiyamat will come.  

If the earth suddenly stops spinning the the objects on the surface on the earth will continue moving for sometime due to inertia. As a result water from oceans will create giant tsunamis,big buildings and mountains will be uprooted and go flying everywhere. 

[sibtain ali7006]

i would suggest u to watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56u4wMxNlg

[Intellectual Resistance]

15 hours ago, Salsabeel said:

Here is a reference from old testament: 

The day the sun stood still:
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sunstood still and the moon stopped until the nationtook vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not writtenin the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down almost a full day.” There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man

http://biblehub.com/joshua/10-13.htm

So the Sun & the Moon stayed in place, this miracle happened well before Prophet Muhammad (S). I don't know why people want proof from us about the splitting of moon when they have seen in the history many miracles? Now its time to quote the verse posted by sister @starlight:

And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, "Passing magic." (54:2) 

In what world do we regard everything in the old testament as Hujjah (proof, evidence)? When it comes to real life and worldly matters, peoples criteria as to the standard of evidence they expect is sky high. In religion, we seem to have far lower standards. 

Edited June 4, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[DestinationUnknown]

22 hours ago, Salsabeel said:

The basis of your question was that:
 

You expect prayers of Muslims to be accepted more often than the non-believers . So everyone would become a believer by now.

Now coming to your new post, do you really think there is a higher proportion of "Muslims" in this world? How many of them act in accordance with the commands of Allah (s.w.t), His Apostle (S) and the Ahlul Bayt (asws)? At the moment, if you ask from any Muslim about the character of majority of Muslims, he will tell you with full confidence that majority have abandoned the teachings of Quran & Holy Prophet (S). So expecting that Allah (s.w.t) will accept the dua's of those who have killed the Ahlul Bayt (asws) & trying desperately to spread mischief on earth, doing every sort of corruption & disobedience, is absurd. 

If Allah (s.w.t) is not accepting the Dua's of people, they would have perished till now with hunger & mischief. The majority is insisting on disobedience & mischief, it at least satisfy my intellect as the reason why majority of humans will be thrown into hell. The aim of pious people is the hereafter, they don't drown themselves into the adornment of this worldly life and strive for their well being in hereafter. 

There are recorded cases where people got shifa, their prayers being answered, their needs being fulfilled. I am one of them & Alhamdolillah can say with surety that Allah has accepted many of my prayers. Last time, when I asked from Him a son who will be the helper & supporter of Imam of our time (asws), He has accepted my prayer and have granted me the son, I have named him "Hassan".

 Allah (s.w.t) has said this in Quran:

وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
"And helping the believers is ever incumbent on us" (30:47) 

كَذَلِكَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نُنجِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
"even so (now), it is binding on Us (that) We deliver the believers" (10:103) 

Promise of nasr & nijaat is there. We therefore never despair with the mercy of Allah (s.w.t). He do listen to our prayers & help us, grant us the shifa & success, give us the sustenance. There is no doubt about it.

So all Duas are equal then? If a non-muslim makes a Dua and a muslim makes the same dua it has the same chance of being accepted? When a muslim uses intercession for a dua it still has the same power as the dua of a non-believer? I think you should reconsider what you're saying. 

It seems you don't understand my point, so allow me to reiterate as simply as possible. If there are 2 groups of sick people, one group has the power of Dua and the other group doesn't, we should expect that the group with the power of Dua will have more patients cured than the group without the power of Dua.

Furthermore the use of anecdotes does not prove the power of Dua, I'm trying to take a more scientific approach here which is why I'm considering large population sizes. I'm sure thousands of christians whose cancers went into remission will swear up and down that it was the power of christ that saved them-- same goes for hindus, jews, and all other theists.

You keep using the Quran to somehow convince me of your arguments but that circular reasoning does nothing for me. It's like if you didn't believe in hinduism and somebody kept pulling out verses from the Gita that said "hinduism is the correct path". 

16 hours ago, MohammadAli1993 said:

There is no correlation between ones Duas being accepted or not and the existence of The Creator. 

Allah SWT has planned since the beginning of mankind to bring peace and justice on this Earth via The Imam of Our Time Ajtfs. So do not lose hope and keep praying. 

In my honest opinion brother, this shouldn't even affect your Imaan. Please don't jump into conclusions so quick. I know very that you having doubts for years now but that is still to soon to make a conclusion that Allah doesn't exist. 

Allah SWT also says in the Quran that if He would to punish us for every sin then no human beings would be alive on this earth today. 

Clearly shows that His Mercy is still upon us. 

Yes, there is. It is a very simple test to see which god is the true one. Let me rephrase my argument so as to make it easier to understand.

 20% of patients who suffer from disease X end up dying of the disease. If islam is the true religion then the special Duas our imams have taught us should be able to grant Shifaa to at least some patients who suffer from the disease. So when we look at muslim people with the disease vs non-muslim people with the disease we should find that instead of 20% of patients dying from disease X, only 15% of patients with disease X end up dying if they are muslim and have Duas on their side. Of course the number won't go down to 0% because Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى has his own plan and some people's duas simply do not get accepted, but at least some of the duas should be accepted so the number should go down at least a little.  

15 hours ago, shia farm girl said:

As salaamun aleikum,

All i can think of is if this event DID occur, it would mean that the Earth actually stopped moving, not that the sun went backwards. This is similar to the hadith that says the sun will rise in the west..What would happen if the Earth was to stop orbitting and/or spinning??

It would mean that the earth started rotating in the opposite direction, not that it just "stopped".

[ali_fatheroforphans]

19 minutes ago, DestinationUnknown said:

So all Duas are equal then? If a non-muslim makes a Dua and a muslim makes the same dua it has the same chance of being accepted? When a muslim uses intercession for a dua it still has the same power as the dua of a non-believer? I think you should reconsider what you're saying. 

(1) Dua is an expression of humility and humbleness before Allah. Dua can even be considered a sort of worship.

(2) Allah is the lord of the universe, who will give everyone regardless of the fact that they may believe or disbelieve. Believers who ask Allah in this world, may have their duas on hold, and Allah will reward them with something better in the hereafter (there is a hadith that supports my point).

[PureExistence1]

8Yes , you're right.. I absolutely agree with you, and that's actually what I meant to say, I really don't know why I put the word "stopped" because I know better than that.

[PureExistence1]

There is another realm, where things go on that we don't detect or know anything about. The Quran States it, the Bible States it, and other religious texts state that this realm exists as well. In Islam, it is called the "ghaib". It interacts with us at different times doing different things. The Angels are part of the ghaib,for example. We don't always understand how or why, and that's fine because we're human so we're extremely Limited. There are ways we can interact with the ghaib,like by making du'a as muslims do, or prayer like the Christians do, and I'm sure there's some stuff that the Hindus do as well as other religions, and these things/prayers/requests etc. have the potential of being granted based on 1001 different parameters. The point i am trying to make here, is that not everything that goes on in that realm/the ghaib is dependent upon a persons specific religion. Some of it is simply cause and effect, the algorithm that Allah/God سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى has designed for this universe to work according to. Anything we do in this world has a consequence, positive negative maybe even both. When we make dua, or pray, or whatever it is  the Hindus, Buddhists and whoever else exist out there does, it connects with the realm of the ghaib and it has an effect. None of these religions have a monopoly on God and on the  Unseen. This realm exists no matter what, however, the amount of access we have to it depends upon what we believe in, and not at the exclusion of other religions or other people. Its just simply that we may have a stronger and easier connection to it than they do. It doesn't mean they DONT have a connection to it or way of reaching it, it's just that their ways may be limited more so as compared to ours..

I can go from where I'm standing to San Francisco 45 minutes north of me and get there very quickly and directly, or, I can decide to go over the Sierra Nevadas to the east, go thru the state of Nevada, come back over the the Sierra Nevadas,then go up to Washington State, come back down thru Oregon and then finally i make it to San Francisco, in other words, the more direct path a person has, the shorter and easier it is in accessing the ghaib thru dua/prayer etc. .Some of us (different religions and practices) have a more direct means than others do. But none of us have a monopoly on Allahs  wisdom, His mercy, and all His other attributes, its just how we access these things is different. What kind of a benevolent all loving and merciful god would He be, if He only granted duas to people that were Muslim?? This is unfair and unjust. His Rahman is general, covering  everything in existence, His Rahim is more specific, and everything falls under and is covered by these 2 attributes, and this is why we see Christians,Jews and even people who hold no specific affiliation with ANY religion having their duas granted.

W/s

Edited June 5, 2018 by shia farm girl
Forgot something

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

9 hours ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

In what world do we regard everything in the old testament as Hujjah (proof, evidence)? When it comes to real life and worldly matters, peoples criteria as to the standard of evidence they expect is sky high. In religion, we seem to have far lower standards. 

This is called cherry picking. Why you have not responded to the following hadith:
 

On 6/4/2018 at 10:21 AM, Salsabeel said:

"In one account, al-Shaykh al-Mufid narrates from Asma' bt. 'Umays, Umm Salama the wife of the Prophet (s), Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and some other companions of the Prophet (s) that: one day, the holy Prophet (s) sent Imam 'Ali (a) for a job and when he returned, it was the time for 'Asr prayer. The Prophet (s) was not aware that Imam 'Ali (a) had not prayed his 'Asr prayer, so he rested while his head was on Imam 'Ali’s leg. At the same time revelation was sent down to the Prophet (s) and it continued until near the sunset. When the Prophet (s) finished receiving the revelation, He asked Imam 'Ali (a) whether or not he had prayed his 'Asr prayer. "Since your blessed head was on my leg and you were resting, I couldn't wake you up." Imam 'Ali (a) responded. The Prophet (s) asked God to return the sun so that Imam 'Ali (a) can pray his 'Asr prayer. In that moment, the sun came back to the extent that it was the proper time for 'Asr prayer and Imam 'Ali (a) performed his 'Asr prayer." (Mufid, al-Irshad, vol1 p.346)

http://en.wikishia.net/view/Radd_al-Shams#cite_ref-1

In this link you will find both Sunni & Shia references of this hadith. 

 Is this quoted by Majlisi? as you have mentioned in your post by quoting unknown champion of Rijal: 
 

On 6/4/2018 at 3:08 AM, Intellectual Resistance said:

(salam)

(bismillah)

al-Majlisi compiled all the hadeeth regarding the returning of the sun as one of the miracles of Imam `Ale (as). Please refer to al-Majlisi's Bihaar al-Anwaar, vol. 41, ch. 109 - Returning the Sun for him, pg 166-191.

`Aasif al-Muhsini, who has graded every hadeeth in Bihaar al-Anwaar, in his Mashra`ah Bihaar al-Anwaar, he doesn't reject this miracle, but he says the details of these events contradict each other, the reasons for him returning the sun contradict each other, also the number of times the sun returned for Imaam `Alee (as) differs. (See: `Aasif al-Muhsini, Mashra`ah Bihaar al-Anwaar, 2 vols., (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Maṭbū`āt, 2nd, 1426/2005), vol. 2, pg. 121-122).

By looking at all the chains in the chapter, I do not find any chains that have a Authentic sanad. And Allaah Knows Best.

(salam)

You forgot that returning of the sun was the miracle of Prophet (S) & quoted here a wrong reference of the miracle of Imam Ali (asws). While the OP has clearly asked for the miracle of Prophet (S): 

Quote

 My first question is about the miracle of the sun going back so that Imam Ali (as) would not miss his prayer.

 

[Ahmed_516478]

On 6/3/2018 at 10:02 PM, DestinationUnknown said:

Thanks, I appreciate you actually answering the question and that too in a satisfactory manner. This still leaves the issue of Prophet Muhammad (saw) splitting the moon and nobody else on earth noticing.  

That's only an issue if you take the interpretation that the splitting of the moon means the moon literally split in two. There is a difference of opinion whether the splitting was literal or not. It is possible (and this is the opinion of some mufasiroon) that the moon only appeared to split to the Arabs only but in reality did not actually literally split in half. This opinion is quite appealing given that it allows one to accept the veracity of the miracle of the moon splitting while also having an answer to why no one else saw it outside of the Arabian peninsula. 

Edited June 5, 2018 by Shi3i_jadeed

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

2 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

If there are 2 groups of sick people, one group has the power of Dua and the other group doesn't, we should expect that the group with the power of Dua will have more patients cured than the group without the power of Dua

The highlighted underlined part is the fallacy. Everyone possess the power of dua, it is our builtin capacity that we automatically call the Ultimate Helper/Supreme Being when we are distressed & ill.  
I will not going to quote verses of Holy Quran to you from now as you have made clear that you just want logical answers. 

 

[MohammadAli1993]

5 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

So all Duas are equal then? If a non-muslim makes a Dua and a muslim makes the same dua it has the same chance of being accepted? When a muslim uses intercession for a dua it still has the same power as the dua of a non-believer? I think you should reconsider what you're saying. 

It seems you don't understand my point, so allow me to reiterate as simply as possible. If there are 2 groups of sick people, one group has the power of Dua and the other group doesn't, we should expect that the group with the power of Dua will have more patients cured than the group without the power of Dua.

Furthermore the use of anecdotes does not prove the power of Dua, I'm trying to take a more scientific approach here which is why I'm considering large population sizes. I'm sure thousands of christians whose cancers went into remission will swear up and down that it was the power of christ that saved them-- same goes for hindus, jews, and all other theists.

You keep using the Quran to somehow convince me of your arguments but that circular reasoning does nothing for me. It's like if you didn't believe in hinduism and somebody kept pulling out verses from the Gita that said "hinduism is the correct path". 

Yes, there is. It is a very simple test to see which god is the true one. Let me rephrase my argument so as to make it easier to understand.

 20% of patients who suffer from disease X end up dying of the disease. If islam is the true religion then the special Duas our imams have taught us should be able to grant Shifaa to at least some patients who suffer from the disease. So when we look at muslim people with the disease vs non-muslim people with the disease we should find that instead of 20% of patients dying from disease X, only 15% of patients with disease X end up dying if they are muslim and have Duas on their side. Of course the number won't go down to 0% because Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى has his own plan and some people's duas simply do not get accepted, but at least some of the duas should be accepted so the number should go down at least a little.  

It would mean that the earth started rotating in the opposite direction, not that it just "stopped".

So what data are you using that you are making conclusion that Muslim Duas are not getting accepted. Have you actually tested it yourself with a large group of Muslims and Non Muslims

I'm very curious 

[BelleAmy]

Salam alaikom,

I apologize if I'm repeating what others told you, I did not have the time to read all of the replies.

Moreover, I'm a newly converted shia (was sunni) so I've never heard of the miracle of your first question, do you have a reference? Also, the first thing that came to mind was that Imam Ali (as) wouldn't miss the prayer because (I'm assuming him being the Imam and knowing his character and all) wouldn't wait until the last minute, so he would have the time to pray, also would he come close to missing the prayer? I don't know, I just find it hard to believe that Imam Ali was busy with something else so he was going to miss the prayer and instead of Allah being forgiving or teaching him a lesson or something he would move the sun. Anyways, can you get me proof? 

Your third question too was something new to me because I believe that even if you ask from your heart it doesn't guarantee it because maybe Allah's plan is not changeable according to our demands. I believe that we make duas and Allah does what he wants, (for me) it's also a test; if you ask for something and Allah doesn't give it to you will you still believe in him? What if it's something that will do you harm more than benefiting you? Personally, I don't trust that I know what's better for myself more than the one who created me. I understand that you're talking about deadly disease and cancer, but that's God's call right? I mean if no one dies of cancer or diseases, and if Syria is free, then when will the Imam Mahdi (as) come? Also, why should Allah be expected to clean people's messes? I never got that part, God didn't cause this war and he shouldn't watch our every move to stop us from doing harm, that wouldn't be free will, right? (I'm seriously asking)

For your second question, I can't follow your logic, that if Islam is the true religion then muslim prayers should be answered. Some muslim prayers are answered, and others aren't. Also, (personally, from the videos I watched) Islam isn't restricted to al sha'hadatain, like someone can truly believe in God and just didn't have the chance to know Islam, but his heart is pure and intention clean, will he be in hellfire and considered bad? I don't think God is that unfair. So, the fact that you're suggesting that our prayers should be answered more than non-muslims is very (I don't mean to insult you, but I find it) shallow, because true believe isn't about being muslim and fasting, it's about believing in God and doing what (one thinks) is worship. Just because muslim are having a hard time and it feels and looks as if Allah left us alone, doesn't mean that he did. I believe that it'll get very very bad before it gets better, don't forget that according to islam this worldly life is not the end, so if it's bad here and now that doesn't mean that it'll be like that forever; someone who dies because of war or cancer here can be very happy and at peace after they die.. we don't know.

By the way, I've been where you are, I threw away my whole system of believe and looked for Allah all over again with many questions (that's how I found shiasim). There's this guy on youtube that I like his way of teaching the quran and pulling lessons from it, he helped me a lot (he's sunni but doesn't bring up the differences much) his name is Nouman Ali Khan, all his videos are in english, I invite you to listen to his videos about duas and tafseer for quran verses. For shia topics, I listen to Ammar Nakshawani, I can feel that his heart is filled with hurt and I think that why he is very passionate when he speaks (lol) but so far I like his videos. If you are truly looking for answers, then don't give up until you find the answers that make you feel at ease, even if you meet people (like me) who don't answer your questions well, or at all. Not being able to answer a question doesn't mean that God doesn't exist, it just means that the person doesn't have enough information to answer. We don't live in times or big miracles, just because they don't happen doesn't mean that God died and can't preform them anymore. I'm not saying either that your only answer is to believe in him, just give the question its right and time, let the right person answer it whoever that is.

I hope I helped!

[DestinationUnknown]

On 6/5/2018 at 6:57 AM, BelleAmy said:

Salam alaikom,

I apologize if I'm repeating what others told you, I did not have the time to read all of the replies.

Moreover, I'm a newly converted shia (was sunni) so I've never heard of the miracle of your first question, do you have a reference? Also, the first thing that came to mind was that Imam Ali (as) wouldn't miss the prayer because (I'm assuming him being the Imam and knowing his character and all) wouldn't wait until the last minute, so he would have the time to pray, also would he come close to missing the prayer? I don't know, I just find it hard to believe that Imam Ali was busy with something else so he was going to miss the prayer and instead of Allah being forgiving or teaching him a lesson or something he would move the sun. Anyways, can you get me proof? 

Your third question too was something new to me because I believe that even if you ask from your heart it doesn't guarantee it because maybe Allah's plan is not changeable according to our demands. I believe that we make duas and Allah does what he wants, (for me) it's also a test; if you ask for something and Allah doesn't give it to you will you still believe in him? What if it's something that will do you harm more than benefiting you? Personally, I don't trust that I know what's better for myself more than the one who created me. I understand that you're talking about deadly disease and cancer, but that's God's call right? I mean if no one dies of cancer or diseases, and if Syria is free, then when will the Imam Mahdi (as) come? Also, why should Allah be expected to clean people's messes? I never got that part, God didn't cause this war and he shouldn't watch our every move to stop us from doing harm, that wouldn't be free will, right? (I'm seriously asking)

For your second question, I can't follow your logic, that if Islam is the true religion then muslim prayers should be answered. Some muslim prayers are answered, and others aren't. Also, (personally, from the videos I watched) Islam isn't restricted to al sha'hadatain, like someone can truly believe in God and just didn't have the chance to know Islam, but his heart is pure and intention clean, will he be in hellfire and considered bad? I don't think God is that unfair. So, the fact that you're suggesting that our prayers should be answered more than non-muslims is very (I don't mean to insult you, but I find it) shallow, because true believe isn't about being muslim and fasting, it's about believing in God and doing what (one thinks) is worship. Just because muslim are having a hard time and it feels and looks as if Allah left us alone, doesn't mean that he did. I believe that it'll get very very bad before it gets better, don't forget that according to islam this worldly life is not the end, so if it's bad here and now that doesn't mean that it'll be like that forever; someone who dies because of war or cancer here can be very happy and at peace after they die.. we don't know.

By the way, I've been where you are, I threw away my whole system of believe and looked for Allah all over again with many questions (that's how I found shiasim). There's this guy on youtube that I like his way of teaching the quran and pulling lessons from it, he helped me a lot (he's sunni but doesn't bring up the differences much) his name is Nouman Ali Khan, all his videos are in english, I invite you to listen to his videos about duas and tafseer for quran verses. For shia topics, I listen to Ammar Nakshawani, I can feel that his heart is filled with hurt and I think that why he is very passionate when he speaks (lol) but so far I like his videos. If you are truly looking for answers, then don't give up until you find the answers that make you feel at ease, even if you meet people (like me) who don't answer your questions well, or at all. Not being able to answer a question doesn't mean that God doesn't exist, it just means that the person doesn't have enough information to answer. We don't live in times or big miracles, just because they don't happen doesn't mean that God died and can't preform them anymore. I'm not saying either that your only answer is to believe in him, just give the question its right and time, let the right person answer it whoever that is.

I hope I helped!

There was a side argument about the legitimacy of such a miracle in this thread, there are some relevant narrations posted there.

The whole idea of a test is understandable to me; however, it seems a little convenient that so many of these cancer cases are "tests". If the duas made available to us by our imams are more potent than random duas by non-muslims then there should be a marked difference in survival rates for diseases like cancer, CHD, ESRD. The fact that the survival rates in muslim countries is so much lower and you attribute this to a "test" seems-- like I said earlier-- too convenient. 

On 6/5/2018 at 1:26 AM, ali_fatheroforphans said:

(1) Dua is an expression of humility and humbleness before Allah. Dua can even be considered a sort of worship.

(2) Allah is the lord of the universe, who will give everyone regardless of the fact that they may believe or disbelieve. Believers who ask Allah in this world, may have their duas on hold, and Allah will reward them with something better in the hereafter (there is a hadith that supports my point).

See my answers to the other responses in this post.

On 6/5/2018 at 1:27 AM, shia farm girl said:

8Yes , you're right.. I absolutely agree with you, and that's actually what I meant to say, I really don't know why I put the word "stopped" because I know better than that.

I was being pedantic, I realized you knew what you were talking about but I just had to get a word in-- my apologies.

On 6/5/2018 at 1:46 AM, shia farm girl said:

There is another realm, where things go on that we don't detect or know anything about. The Quran States it, the Bible States it, and other religious texts state that this realm exists as well. In Islam, it is called the "ghaib". It interacts with us at different times doing different things. The Angels are part of the ghaib,for example. We don't always understand how or why, and that's fine because we're human so we're extremely Limited. There are ways we can interact with the ghaib,like by making du'a as muslims do, or prayer like the Christians do, and I'm sure there's some stuff that the Hindus do as well as other religions, and these things/prayers/requests etc. have the potential of being granted based on 1001 different parameters. The point i am trying to make here, is that not everything that goes on in that realm/the ghaib is dependent upon a persons specific religion. Some of it is simply cause and effect, the algorithm that Allah/God سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى has designed for this universe to work according to. Anything we do in this world has a consequence, positive negative maybe even both. When we make dua, or pray, or whatever it is  the Hindus, Buddhists and whoever else exist out there does, it connects with the realm of the ghaib and it has an effect. None of these religions have a monopoly on God and on the  Unseen. This realm exists no matter what, however, the amount of access we have to it depends upon what we believe in, and not at the exclusion of other religions or other people. Its just simply that we may have a stronger and easier connection to it than they do. It doesn't mean they DONT have a connection to it or way of reaching it, it's just that their ways may be limited more so as compared to ours..

I can go from where I'm standing to San Francisco 45 minutes north of me and get there very quickly and directly, or, I can decide to go over the Sierra Nevadas to the east, go thru the state of Nevada, come back over the the Sierra Nevadas,then go up to Washington State, come back down thru Oregon and then finally i make it to San Francisco, in other words, the more direct path a person has, the shorter and easier it is in accessing the ghaib thru dua/prayer etc. .Some of us (different religions and practices) have a more direct means than others do. But none of us have a monopoly on Allahs  wisdom, His mercy, and all His other attributes, its just how we access these things is different. What kind of a benevolent all loving and merciful god would He be, if He only granted duas to people that were Muslim?? This is unfair and unjust. His Rahman is general, covering  everything in existence, His Rahim is more specific, and everything falls under and is covered by these 2 attributes, and this is why we see Christians,Jews and even people who hold no specific affiliation with ANY religion having their duas granted.

W/s

You admit that the connections of muslims to the ghaib is greater than those of non-muslims, so shouldn't this disparity in connection mean that our Duas are accepted more easily/more often? If this is the case then it goes back to my earlier point about how survival rates of diseases in Muslim countries should be higher because we have more powerful Duas. Even if other countries have the power of Dua, the difference in how often ours are accepted vs how often theirs are accepted should be reflected in things like survival rates for diseases.

On 6/5/2018 at 3:02 AM, Shi3i_jadeed said:

That's only an issue if you take the interpretation that the splitting of the moon means the moon literally split in two. There is a difference of opinion whether the splitting was literal or not. It is possible (and this is the opinion of some mufasiroon) that the moon only appeared to split to the Arabs only but in reality did not actually literally split in half. This opinion is quite appealing given that it allows one to accept the veracity of the miracle of the moon splitting while also having an answer to why no one else saw it outside of the Arabian peninsula. 

This is a viable answer. Do you by any chance have any narrations or any quotes from any authority to suggest that this is the case?

On 6/5/2018 at 3:11 AM, Salsabeel said:

The highlighted underlined part is the fallacy. Everyone possess the power of dua, it is our builtin capacity that we automatically call the Ultimate Helper/Supreme Being when we are distressed & ill.  
I will not going to quote verses of Holy Quran to you from now as you have made clear that you just want logical answers. 

 

So then your argument is that the Duas of Muslims and Non-muslims are accepted all the same? So the fact that our Imams taught us special Duas for specific ailments doesn't cause our Duas to be more powerful? So what then is the purpose of reciting the Duas taught by our Imams when we could-- for lack of better words-- free style it and have the same result. Furthermore, how do you explain the fact that pious people are supposed to have their Duas accepted over those who are not pious, after all isn't that why we ask Ulema to make Dua for us.

On 6/5/2018 at 5:55 AM, MohammadAli1993 said:

So what data are you using that you are making conclusion that Muslim Duas are not getting accepted. Have you actually tested it yourself with a large group of Muslims and Non Muslims

I'm very curious 

Although such data isn't available, when we compare things like survival rates for various types of cancers by country we see that it is western countries-- and not countries with a muslim majority-- that have the highest survival rates. I understand that this is more than likely because the treatment options in the US and other western countries are far superior to those of most Muslim countries; however, this would suggest that Dua to the almighty Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى can be trumped by superior medication which makes the case for Dua being a powerful tool a lot weaker.

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

1 hour ago, DestinationUnknown said:

So then your argument is that the Duas of Muslims and Non-muslims are accepted all the same?

Yes, you need to understand the fact that those dua are not guarded in any secret tablet where any disbeliever dont have access. 

Anyone can use those duas with their proper manners & requisites.

1 hour ago, DestinationUnknown said:

So what then is the purpose of reciting the Duas taught by our Imams when we could-- for lack of better words-- free style it and have the same result. Furthermore, how do you explain the fact that pious people are supposed to have their Duas accepted over those who are not pious, after all isn't that why we ask Ulema to make Dua for us.

Every human being is set free in accepting & rejecting the divine message. Everyone of us is free to chose to become pious.

This world is a place of tests & trials and we have to leave this place one day. One should remember this fact alone and one should note that the ailments which brings him closer to God, are His mercy & a form of trial while the ailments which drives us away from Him are inflicted upon us as punishment.

[BelleAmy]

3 hours ago, DestinationUnknown said:

The whole idea of a test is understandable to me; however, it seems a little convenient that so many of these cancer cases are "tests". If the duas made available to us by our imams are more potent than random duas by non-muslims then there should be a marked difference in survival rates for diseases like cancer, CHD, ESRD. The fact that the survival rates in muslim countries is so much lower and you attribute this to a "test" seems-- like I said earlier-- too convenient. 

What do you mean "too convenient" are you looking for a different answer? The fact that these things are making you question the existence of God prove to me that it's more of a test than "convenience". What I said "test", I didn't mean just for the family and the one who're suffering. Also, I don't know why you are so attached to the idea that the duas taught by the imams are so majestic that Allah can't refuse them when we use them. Allah doesn't need to do as he is told by us through these duas, there's a lot of elements for that. There's the fact that he has a plan, or won't answer it now, or what he's doing is better than what we are asking for. I know it might sound stupid and unfair to you (maybe even funny) but this religion worked with the unseen a lot, and we have to understand that we can't know everything. I mean, everyone that is helping is giving suggestions as to why Allah isn't accepting the duas, but truly no one knows because that's how God wants it. Here's a thought though, instead of worrying about what we can't possibly know for sure, why don't you look around (and in) you for the things that he did do? Like where did we come from? How is the world came to be so organized? That's how I started, then I studied the quran (well listened to lecturers) and was convinced that it's from god because of the way its written, for me that's a miracle, and from there  I started reading it and knowing Allah more which is why your question doesn't bother me because I know how fair and just he is.

Just a thought

[PureExistence1]

There are  1001 parameters (Meaning, unestimitable and unknown) for duas to be granted irrespective of who what where when how, etc. situation a person is involved in.

Lets first  look at this ayatt and see what Allah is telling us about how things operate:

Surah An-Nisa, Verse 79:
مَّا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِن سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن نَّفْسِكَ وَأَرْسَلْنَاكَ لِلنَّاسِ رَسُولًا وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدً

(4:79) Whatever good happens to you is from Allah; and whatever misfortune smites you is because of your own action. We have sent you to mankind (O Muhammad!) as a Messenger, and Allah is sufficient as a witness.


Looking at the granting of duas in light of this ayatt, and if we believe according to this ayatt, that good comes from Allah and bad from us as it says in the ayatt, then we have to believe that when something "bad" happens to us, or our duas dont get answered, at least not that we know of, that it is because it is kheyr for us that the dua is not answered, and if it IS granted, its because Allah has deemed it as kheyr for us, or maybe even for those around us, or for the people we will cross paths with, etc.
It can be very hard for us to accept things that we see as "bad" as being something Allah has deemed as "good" for us to go thru but that is where we need to acknowledge Allahs "all-knowingness" and the our deficiency in our knowledge.
Another ayatt to keep in mind is:

Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 186:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.
(English - Shakir)

Here, Allah has said He answers our supplications and duas, and He ALWAYS answers, but sometimes, the answer is "no". He may also choose to abstain from granting our dua in THIS world and the answer/granting of it will occur in the akhira...regardless, He ALWAYS answers.


In some cases, it may be that the ayatt of:

Surah An-Nisa, Verse 19:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا وَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذْهَبُوا بِبَعْضِ مَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ إِلَّا أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

O you who believe! it is not lawful for you that you should take women as heritage against (their) will, and do not straiten them in order that you may take part of what you have given them, unless they are guilty of manifest indecency, and treat them kindly; then if you hate them, it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah has placed abundant good in it.

This line:
"...it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah has placed abundant good in it."

...is that part I am referring to, that we may dislike that our dua is not answered, but Allah has placed abundant good in that dua not being answered.

These ayatts discuss universal truths, not things that apply only to Muslims, therefore these truths apply to all people across the globe, and for all time, they have been and will be subject to them rather they know it or not.

These are just a few things mentioned in the Quran that will effect whether a dua is answered or not,but there are other things that need to be taken into consideration such as the person themselves- this algorithym Allah has subjected us to can very simply be looked at as cause and effect at its most basic level. If a person is good and puts that goodness to use through helping others in any way, shape or form, the chances of their duas being granted increases, but it isnt necessarily guaranteed, whether they be a religious person (of any religion) or not. If they are the opposite, someone who has bad intentions in general, commits many sins, etc, the chances for their duas being granted declines, but again, it doesnt mean a "bad" persons duas are never granted-Allah granting a "bad"persons dua may be part of the bigger plan of bringing that person into the folds of Islam eventually,or even just to a better point in their life, or maybe the granting of that dua will have a positive effect on someone else in that persons life, like maybe its granting will benefit their kids, or maybe even a totall stranger they will cross paths with that day. We have no way of knowing how or why a dua will be answered to ANY person. There are too many intricacies and details involved.
There are other scenarios. Maybe a sick person has made many duas for their own recovery, but God didnt grant THEIR dua, He granted the dua of the persons MOM who wants her child to become well, because the MOMS a good person..and the list of possibilities goes on and on. We do not and can not know the ghaib and the myriad of different circumstances and causes and effects surrounding even a minuscule ammount of a person,place or thing...this "unknown" realm is the ghaib, and this is Allahs realm.

Muslims in general are no different than many other people in the sense that most of us are sinners and imperfect to different degrees. Maybe this is why we dont see more duas being answered in our ummah, because the majority of muslims arent acting according to their high potential that Allah has blessed humanity with, just like other people are not either. How can we as Muslims expect the ammount of duas we are granted as individuals within our ummah to be more if we as individuals havent put in the necessary efforts? And again, THATS not a guarantee either, because of ALLLLL the OTHER parameters that Allah is aware of and we arent. Just because we are muslim doesnt necessarily mean all our duas will be answered, but thats one of the blessings of Islam-if we really want to live Islam to the dot, we have the "how to" books to do so, like the Quran, the risallas and the reliable hadiths to do so and to in sha Allah increase the liklihood of our duas being answered..I dont know of any other belief system that has micromanagement built into it for those who care to apply it..Maybe not enough muslims are applying themselves at that level for the results you would like to see happening to be occuring, but again, this is not a guarantee of duas being accepted.

Other reasons for our duas not being granted is because it teaches us how to be patient, how to trust in Allahs guidance, and how to submit to His will, which means accepting that what we want to happen may very well NOT be what Allah wants to happen, but rest assured, theres a reason for that, and only Allah knows what that is, because He doesnt do ANYTHING without a reason...there is no such thing as randomness-thats just a word people use when they dont have enough knowledge to be able to understand why something happens the way it does. When u look at islam, the deepest a person can go is to submit to Allah so much, it becomes as if the person has ceased to exist, and this ultimate level of submission is only possible through truly accepting whatever comes our way, knowing its kheyr in some manner, and that Allah has chosen it for us in His infinite knowledge and love for us,and i think that when all the above is applied, that maybe muslims DO have a higher chance of their duas being granted, but thats IF all the other criteria are met and if Allah deems answering the dua as beneficial for the person. But yea, just like a parent disciplining their child..they dont do it to be mean-they do it because they love their child and want the best for them, even if that means their child will suffer a bit.

There are other issues too, for example, if a person lives in an area that has a high crime rate, should it be a suprise if their house gets burgularized, or in a worst case scenario, they get shot? Sometimes the environment we are in will be the cause our suffering. Did we do anything inherrently "wrong" being there? No, but it wasnt a smart decision, so we have to suffer the consequence of the situation.

Surah Ar-Rad, Verse 11:
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ

For his sake there are angels following one another, before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's commandment; surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition; and when Allah intends evil to a people, there is no averting it, and besides Him they have no protector.
(English - Shakir)

...Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition.

If youre making dua to not be in financial hardship, but youre not looking for a job, Allah most likely is not going to Grant that dua. In order for many duas to be granted, we have to go through all the necessary steps working towards that goal, and then Allah will provide the means through your effort (the job) THIS is how He changes the condition of a person once they change it themselves. They have to become active towards that. Making du'a for a million dollars to fall into your lap is highly unlikely to happen. We have to put in the work. Its part of our tests and trials here.

Part of Allahs commandments to us and our responsibility in this religion is to make duas to Him-its what He has charged us with, so in the very least, we make dua to Him to uphold our responsibility, all the while accepting whatever His will for us is. Sorry im running out of time at the moment so i cant provide evidence for this last statement at this time.

At the end of the day, and at the end of this very long post, LOL, whether we can understand why or why not duas are or are not granted shouldnt be a sole reason to question the legitimacy or Truth of Islam as the right religion. Islam is an all encompassing religion and it has guidance and answers for us every step of the way, which is way more than I can say for the other religions I have either been a part of at one time or have studied about. Islam covers all the bases and is rational and reasonable and fair and just. When we look at something as small as why or why not duas are or are not answered, and compare it to the other 99% of the religion, it really shouldn't be a reason to question whether it is the right religion or not or a good base reason to decide to leave it considering everything else the religion is and has to offer, especially when understanding this particular point is something that is not humanly possible due to our limitations.

...1001+ parameters that we have no way of knowing to determine why some duas are granted, and others are not, and this is regardless of religious affiliation, if any.

W/s

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

Every deed of human, whether a believer or disbeliever reaches to Allah (s.w.t).

Assume a disbeliever praying before an idol who neither listen nor see and neither have the capacity to help.

Where would his dua reaches? Who listens to his dua? Do you think Allah (s.w.t) not listen their duas? Are those just mere words which went unlistened?

And if you believe He is the only one who listens to every one, how can you say the Allah (s.w.t) do not accept the dua of disbelievers when He Himself saying that "All do we aid"?

Edited June 9, 2018 by Salsabeel

[M.IB]

On 6/3/2018 at 4:34 PM, Salsabeel said:

Are there time zones on Earth? Or you think sun shines everywhere on earth equally and there is no night & day concept?

Is there a possibility that because of heavy clouds, one remains unable to detect that miracle? 

A normal healthy man takes maximum 5 minutes to finish 4 raka'h prayers. A 5-10 minute reversal of sun is not that big event that it can catch the attention of people of the area (leave aside the people of the whole world).

This miracle is reported in a hadith, but a more big miracle is mentioned in Quran:

Surah Al-Qamar, Verse 1:
اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

The hour drew nigh and the moon did rend asunder.
(English - Shakir)

Why didn't the Prophet (s) just wake him up? Why to reverse sun "for 10 minutes"??

[eThErEaL]

On 6/8/2018 at 4:58 AM, DestinationUnknown said:

There was a side argument about the legitimacy of such a miracle in this thread, there are some relevant narrations posted there.

The whole idea of a test is understandable to me; however, it seems a little convenient that so many of these cancer cases are "tests". If the duas made available to us by our imams are more potent than random duas by non-muslims then there should be a marked difference in survival rates for diseases like cancer, CHD, ESRD. The fact that the survival rates in muslim countries is so much lower and you attribute this to a "test" seems-- like I said earlier-- too convenient. 

See my answers to the other responses in this post.

I was being pedantic, I realized you knew what you were talking about but I just had to get a word in-- my apologies.

You admit that the connections of muslims to the ghaib is greater than those of non-muslims, so shouldn't this disparity in connection mean that our Duas are accepted more easily/more often? If this is the case then it goes back to my earlier point about how survival rates of diseases in Muslim countries should be higher because we have more powerful Duas. Even if other countries have the power of Dua, the difference in how often ours are accepted vs how often theirs are accepted should be reflected in things like survival rates for diseases.

This is a viable answer. Do you by any chance have any narrations or any quotes from any authority to suggest that this is the case?

So then your argument is that the Duas of Muslims and Non-muslims are accepted all the same? So the fact that our Imams taught us special Duas for specific ailments doesn't cause our Duas to be more powerful? So what then is the purpose of reciting the Duas taught by our Imams when we could-- for lack of better words-- free style it and have the same result. Furthermore, how do you explain the fact that pious people are supposed to have their Duas accepted over those who are not pious, after all isn't that why we ask Ulema to make Dua for us.

Although such data isn't available, when we compare things like survival rates for various types of cancers by country we see that it is western countries-- and not countries with a muslim majority-- that have the highest survival rates. I understand that this is more than likely because the treatment options in the US and other western countries are far superior to those of most Muslim countries; however, this would suggest that Dua to the almighty Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى can be trumped by superior medication which makes the case for Dua being a powerful tool a lot weaker.

1. Dua means to call out in a state of need.  

2. Dua comes from one’s heart, it isn’t on ones tongue (although a tongue can sometimes express the state in one’s heart).  

3. Everyone is constantly making dua because everyone is constantly in need. Many of us are not even aware of our state of need most of the time.  

4. God responds to each person’s call by wisely giving each and everyone one what will be in the best interest of the goal of the entire creation.  God looks at the creation as a whole, because it is in fact a whole (one creation).  Yes, He does see the parts but He doesn’t see each part independently of the other part. He takes into consideration everyone and everything and then gives to each whatever will contribute to fulfilling the goal of the creation as a whole.

5. The reason why we are taught to make dua, is for us to realize our need.  All of us are in need, but most of us are not aware of it.  We are taught to make dua because we are taught to “consciously” ask for that which will fulfill the goal of the entire creation.  And what is this ultimate goal?  God Himself.  

[Urwatul Wuthqa]

2 hours ago, M.IB said:

Why didn't the Prophet (s) just wake him up? Why to reverse sun "for 10 minutes"??

 Read the history at the following link. It was not the Ali(asws) who was sleeping, it was Prophet (S). 

http://en.wikishia.net/view/Radd_al-Shams#During_the_time_of_The_Prophet_.28s.29

[Rashīd al-Hanafī]

On 6/3/2018 at 7:35 AM, DestinationUnknown said:

Not really sure how to start this off, but for the past few years I've been struggling with my faith. It seems that the only way I was able to truly believe in Allah (s.w.t) and indeed god in general was by taking everything I was told at face value instead of investigating further. After many years I began to realize that there were just too many questions that I couldn't answer and a lot of hand-waviness in regards to the answers I did come up with. Despite saying all this I've never been more at ease than when I believed in God, and I truly wish to once again believe in him. So if it is okay with everybody I would like to pose a few questions that have troubled me.

1) My first question is about the miracle of the sun going back so that Imam Ali (as) would not miss his prayer. During this time there were tons of people around the world who had taken interest in the sun and indeed astronomy in general. If such a miracle had happened then it would've been seen everywhere else on earth as well. Given how easy it is to notice something like that you would expect to hear about it in history books from all over the world and yet the only place we hear about it is in ahadith.

2) My second point is about Duas in general. If Islam is indeed the true religion then we would expect that the prayers of Muslims would be accepted more often than that of non-muslims/non-believers. If this is the case then we should expect to see higher remission rates in diseases like cancer for Muslim populations when compared to non-muslim populations assuming that the treatments given and numerous other factors are the same for both groups. This is not the case either, or at least a quick search of the literature did not reveal it to be the case. 

3) I understand that sometimes Duas are not accepted because they are not asked from the heart; however, across the Ummah we see muslims everywhere praying for the situation in Syria and yet the situation still remains grim. One could argue that perhaps one or two people are not genuine in their prayers, but if every single person who asks for peace does not have his/her prayer answered then it seems that the criteria to have one's prayer accepted is simply too strict or that there is no one listening to the prayers at all.

I'm sorry if my questions are harsh in tone but believe me when I say I'm here to ask for help, not to belittle the very ideas that I so desperately want to believe in once again.

Regards,

1. I feel confident rejecting this story out of hand; my rational and textual justifications for doing so are available.

2&3. These questions display a general lack of understanding of established theological principles and seem to be based on some faulty premises. I don't mean to sound rude so please excuse me, but these objections are naïve.

But these questions don't have anything to do with whether or not God exists; you have to establish that for yourself before reasoning on to other issues such as the ones you raised. Rejecting Islam based on stories and misunderstandings, but refusing to accept the criterion it actually uses to separate truth from falsehood (i.e. the Qur'ān - you called it circular reasoning when another respondent cited some āyāt in support of their point) also seems a bit disjointed.

If you ask me, you should throw everything else on the back burner until you sort out whether you accept God's existence (and what kind of God that is).