Topic: is G_D testing me?

[dnasims]

First, sorry I was gone so long.  I missed all the conversations, with all of you.

I have had many problems arise in past two months of my life, which have turned me up side down and even shook my faith, which I am working hard to rebuild. 

I thought were better than this site?


I lost my uncle suddenly.  He was very close and in fact, I look much like him and got part o my name from him. 

He was my mom’s brother, and two weeks and six days later my mom’s sister was hit by a car and was killed.  At my uncles funeral she stood at a gravesite and told her son right in front of me here is where I will be buried.   Her son said hopefully not for a long time mom and she responded you never know.  He said mom do not talk that way.

I was trying to help my mother threw all of this so one of things I did for her (them all being devout Catholics) was shave my beard which I had grown to nearly a fist length.

However, my mother hated it and did not know I was studying Islam so I shaved it.

On top of all this, nine days after my aunt was buried my dad would up in hospital with his oxygen level done in the sixties.  They said most people are coded at this level.

Well to shorten this long story every time some thing bad happened it was right after I started to grow beard again and start prayers and studying again.

The way I was raised I was taught to believe that if you do something wrong G_D would let something bad happen.  Some say it’s to steer you in the right direction some for punishment but either way take note of it.

Does Islam believe in this in any way could I be doing something to make this happen?

Am I doing something wrong?  Should I continue to study and think of this as just distraction in attempt to make me slide?  Maybe like a test or is it some warning that I am doing wrong?

Is it all just life and has nothing to do with what I do at all?

I could use some help from you all.  My dad is doing better but going to lung specialist, and I was planning once again to try to go to mosque.

Should I proceed or stop and wait until everyone better?   Oddly enough, my father is the only one in family who would accept me following Islam.

Any advice helpful.

Thanks to everyone
Dan Sims

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

sometimes God proves the good ones by making their way to His Love more difficult ...... those who are patient and good believers will be better rewarded.

[whatislam]

dear dan
i hope you are feeling better and that both your mother and father are coping with their grief and illness.  it is a very hard time and i am sure you are a great comfort to your family now.you know that i am a vedantist - that is a religion which believes all religious paths are true - but just like different rivers that flow to the same ocean of God.  nonetheless within this vedantic belief is a very strong sense that once you start on one path --- then you must not waver from it.  dan, it is extremely unusual (really) for someone to feel so called toward ANOTHER faith than the one into which they were born - and you had that feeling which makes me believe that it is YOUR path.  and in life - it is most important, i think, is to follow your "dharma" - your "path".  i don't think it is a "test" - and i also don't think that the actions are related...  (you growing your beard/following islam - bad things happening).  i don't know what it says in the Koran, i haven't read it and i doubt i will (it is not my path) but important in any spiritual growth is "FAITH, COURAGE, PERSEVERANCE".don't lose faith and courage at the first hurdle or opportunity.  let your faith grow.  you are a servant of G_d, as we all are and we accept what comes our way.  i believe in the power of ALL holy scriptures --- and if there are demons trying to test you or tempt you --- then what i would do in your position, to make things clearer for yourself is to take the Koran and open it at a random page.  read that page and all it says and meditate as deeply as you can on the words asking G_d for guidance and clarity as to where your path lies.  i don't think that that can make you go wrong - i don't believe demons would have the power to interfere with a pure heart or a true soul calling out to G_d and using a Holy Scripture as a guide.this would just be what i would do - you must either decide for yourself what you think is right or ask the advice of a religious guide.  

[whatislam]

for some reason the last post came out with no paragraphs (??) - so i am reposting with the hope that they will come out this time and make it easier to read:

dear dan

i hope you are feeling better and that both your mother and father are coping with their grief and illness.  it is a very hard time and i am sure you are a great comfort to your family now.

you know that i am a vedantist - that is a religion which believes all religious paths are true - but just like different rivers that flow to the same ocean of God.  nonetheless within this vedantic belief is a very strong sense that once you start on one path --- then you must not waver from it. 

dan, it is extremely unusual (really) for someone to feel so called toward ANOTHER faith than the one into which they were born - and you had that feeling which makes me believe that it is YOUR path. 

and in life - it is most important, i think, is to follow your "dharma" - your "path". 

i don't think it is a "test" - and i also don't think that the actions are related...  (you growing your beard/following islam - bad things happening).  i don't know what it says in the Koran, i haven't read it and i doubt i will (it is not my path) but important in any spiritual growth is "FAITH, COURAGE, PERSEVERANCE".don't lose faith and courage at the first hurdle or opportunity.  let your faith grow.  you are a servant of G_d, as we all are and we accept what comes our way. 

i believe in the power of ALL holy scriptures --- and if there are demons (if they exist) trying to test you or tempt you --- then what i would do in your position, to make things clearer for yourself is to take the Koran and open it at a random page.  read that page and all it says and meditate as deeply as you can on the words asking G_d for guidance and clarity as to where your path lies.  i don't think that that can make you go wrong - i don't believe demons would have the power to interfere with a pure heart or a true soul calling out to G_d and using a Holy Scripture as a guide.

this would just be what i would do - you must either decide for yourself what you think is right or ask the advice of a religious guide. 

[whatislam]

and just to try to explain the rationale behind why one shouldn't waver from the initial path --- it is described a bit like this:

i live in London, for example, and if you wanted to get to London from America you must go West - but if you are living in Russia you must go East and Australia your direction is North but Iceland and the direction is South.

if you are living in Russia and someone from Australia starts insisting that you follow their path (ie you must go North) --- that person from Russia will never get to London!

i do believe that most people are born into the faith that is their "starting point" but sometimes that is not the case.  that being so, they then feel called toward another faith and although all faiths are equally true paths --- they must follow the instructions for that faith as they are in that starting position (as it were???) and that is the easiest way to reach their goal.

i don't think my analogy is great but it was the simplest way i could think to try to explain it on the spur of the moment.

your path will be harder - because you will have more trials in following a different path but you are blessed to be born in the United States where there is freedom of religion guaranteed in your constitution and a general wonderful level of openess and tolerance toward all (or so i found when i went there).

I was traveling across the USA but stopped for a while in Los Angeles where i enjoyed the fact that all the religions were so openly close to each other --- i would walk down my street to the grocer/supermarket and i would pass a Jewish synagogue, a Methodist church, a spiritualist church, a Vedantic temple all on the same street ---- and not too, too far was a Sikh gurdwara and Islamic mosque and so on and so forth.

and i think trials are hard - but how we react or deal with them, i suppose is what we need to think about.

[Emilee]

hello dan
 
Please accept my deepest regrets and heart goes to you for your loss. I can only imagine how you are feeling, all over the place with the thoughts stuck on top of everything, that these family losses have somehow linked to the islamic faith and studies that you preserve. Take it slow and do not thrash yourself with overwhelming throughts.
 
We do not always know why events, even death happens to us, but we do know that whatever happened, was by God's will and only by his Will.
from islamic perspective, God gives life and God takes it away.
Nobody can change it, affect it or remove it. I am trying to say is, if Allah gives you something bad, unless it is for your own good.
It doesnt mean that you have done something wrong or that you are doign something wrong, *we dont always know that, but I ll help you by posing this question below.

Do bad things happen to the believers (good people)?
Yes, they do.  But they appear bad to the believers cause they are things people don't like. Who likes breaking a leg? However, when a bad thing happens to a believer this believer is patient. He praises Allah in all circumstances. He knows Allah does not decree something unless it is for his own good. [/s]

. One of them is to test you in faith, help you grow and learn, and learn patience, preservence.
I believe that you can keep doing what is most comfortable to you at this stage, and take it slow and ready.
 
Please accept my deepest sympathies and tell me how you go.
 
Ema 

[f_shafa]

Tafseer Al-Munkhatab of Al-Ankabuut (The Spider) :

[29.2] Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried?

Do people think that, just because they express their thoughts in words and say: In all things O Allah, our Creator, we do conform our will to Your blessed will, that they will be left untested!

[29.3] And certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly know those who are true and He will certainly know the liars.

Indeed We tested those who came to this world before them and Allah shall most certainly know those who will prove true to their promises and their intentions as well as those who prove themselves liars.

[29.4] Or do they who work evil think that they will escape Us? Evil is it that they judge!

Or do those who consume their life in wrong-doing think they shall escape Our notice and consequently Our retributive punishment! How irrationally do they think and erroneously do they judge?

[29.5] Whoever hopes to meet Allah, the term appointed by Allah will then most surely come; and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

He in whose breast hope springs eternal for meeting with Allah on the Day of Judgement and who expects Allah's mercy and blessings and dreads His retributive punishment must realize that that Day is indeed inevitable and He - Allah - is Omnipresent with illimitable audition, Omniscient.

[29.6] And whoever strives hard, he strives only for his own soul; most surely Allah is Self-sufficient, above (need of) the worlds.

And he who strives in the cause of Allah and makes His purpose the heart of his purpose simply strives to save his own soul; Allah is indeed Absolute and Independent of all His created beings.

[29.7] And (as for) those who believe and do good, We will most certainly do away with their evil deeds and We will most certainly reward them the best of what they did.

And those who imprinted their hearts with the image of religious and spiritual virtues and their deeds with wisdom and piety may expect Allah's mercy and blessings; We will cancel their evil deeds and blot out their sins from the books of life and We will requite them for every deed at the gauge of the best of what they accomplished.

ps : please read the rest on http://talkaboutislam.com/koran/koran_english/029.php

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

thank you f_shafa

[dnasims]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and help.


Although I am not Muslim yet nor am I sure, if I have all the same beliefs yet or not, I do find the strength of this transformation is great.

I had given up on daily prayers because of everything going on or lack of faith or lazy which, ever case is true.  However I found when I look up and know that I had missed the prayer I felt an extreme amount of guilt and remorse for letting myself done and not showing devotion to G_D.

This is very strange indeed for me because no matter what Christian faith I followed, I was never very good or interested in prayer.

I have a salaat that has been translated into English from internet and have tried to do it correctly.  Even though I am sure, it is not correct it still fells it and now when I do not do it it feels wrong.

I guess what I am trying to say is I must be headed in the right direction.


Thanks again to all

Dan Sims

[curioustraveler]

Yes dan  tests of every day,rejoice that  allows you these tests. Many people are permitted little time to be tested praise  for your time.