Why Be Muslim?

[Augustine3]

:doh2: Islam worships the same God as Christianity and Judaism.

Also,

Agreed, the catechism tells us we share the same Abrahamic faith with our Muslim friends. However, our doctrines are fundamentally different to theirs.

I’ve listened to many ex-Christian testimonies’ conversion to Islam. Not a single person left Christianity with the correct understanding of Christianity…

Sometimes I feel like driving a fire truck full of holy water and spray all these converts to Islam, you never know it may wake them up

 

[SaintPatrick333]

Asalaamu Aleikum sisters and brothers!

My Muslim name is Zhati and I grew up Italian Catholic.
In my youth I pursued the religious life and for 7 years intended to become a Sister. However, Before this ever transpired In my early 20’s i fell in love and married.
I fell away from the Catholic Church, although my children were baptized, as I explored other eastern paths.
Four years ago, having completely fallen away from all organized religion, i came upon a group called the Sufis.
They spoke of Love as the Essence of God and the central Truth of all religion…They spoke of the teachings of Jesus (alayhi salaam)in the highest reverence and modeled their own schools of thought on His teaching, as well as the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu wasselim), the central Prophet of the tradition.
When I finally stepped foot into their dergah (mosque) the flood of love and sanctity that I first knew as a child adoring Jesus’ Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacrament came rushing back to me.
It took Muhammad to bring me back to Jesus!
In our teaching, they are Brothers…and Mary is, in Islam as well as Christianity, the most Blessed of all women that has ever lived. Indeed, the Muslims devotion to Maryam as they call her may even surpass many Christians that Ive known!
This is why I am a Sufi Muslim.
So to answer your question, Why should you embrace Islam I say…You shouldnt. Not unless God has spoken to your heart the way He spoke to mine…
But regardless of which religion you are a believer of…there is only one Truth that calls itself by many different names…Muslim, Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu…
And that Truth is Love!
Peace to all of your hearts!
Zhati

I like your response miss and hope I could ask you a question? Do you believe Truth is relative? That it can be subjective? If that were true wouldn’t it be easier to say that everything is true? Or that nothing is true? If being any religion is ok, then where is the effort to get to know God? If they are all ok why do people try to convert others? I don’t mean to sound like I’m attacking you through asking these questions, but just some questions that were raised from reading your response. Thanks in advance and God Bless!

 

[TexanKnight]

are Sufis accepted by the rest of the Muslim world?

 

[zhati]

Salaam Sisters and Brothers,
Thank you for your responses and questions…
Its very interesting to me how many of them fit together…
The very same realization that I had which caused me to fall away from the Catholic Church (from all organized religion, actually) is the answer to some of the questions posed…

Someone asked me if I believe Truth is relative…the answer is yes…and no…
One of the 99 names for God in Islam is “Haqq”…loosely translated, this means “Truth”…In my early 20’s I realized that defining Truth according to dogma was the cause of much conflict and violence in our world.
In reality (which is another nuanced definition of Haqq), there are many different levels of understanding any one idea.
There is the literal understanding…what is called literalist, or in Islam, the “sharia” understanding. In Christianity, fundamentalists generally interpret the scriptures at this level. At this level of understanding, truth is objective and factual…and usually very limited.

Then there is the level of understanding at the “haqiqat” level…this is a mystical interpretation of scripture, faith…indeed life itself…

those of you familiar with the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Francis of Assisi are well acquainted with this level of understanding. (Incidentally, these Saints are also much revered by Sufis)

On this level, Truth is subjective, and is something to be EXPERIENCED rather than understood with one’s mind…this is much closer to the meaning of Haqq as a Divine Name.

How do I know what is Truth?
Truth is whatever overflows my heart with love and goodness…and to answer your question, my friend…this is the only Real way to get to know God!

Think about this…
are you closer to God when you win a theological argument, or when you embrace someone with tenderness?
Thoughts are just that…thoughts…
and beliefs are made of thoughts…
Truth is far deeper than the mind…and it belies mere thought forms…
God, Love, and Truth are One and the Same…Succinctly put…it is the very Essence and Sanctity of all Life…
Whatever diminishes this is evil
Whatever increases this is holy

In Sufism I have learned to connect to this deeper Reality through the practices of zikr, salat, and tesbih…(if anyone’s interested, Ill explain these…but dont want to give information that isnt pertinent in this forum).

Someone asked me why I chose not to return to Catholicism…
the short answer is that my teacher and my path appeared in the form of a Sheikha (who incidentally is also a convert from Catholicism!)…had s/he appeared as a priest or a nun, I would have returned to Catholicism.
Its important to stress that to me, the religious form doesnt really matter at all…
The founding saint of our order used to say that sufism is like clear water and the various religions are different colored glasses…no matter which glass you drink from, your thirst is quenched…

Finally, someone asked if Sufi’s are accepted by mainstream Muslims…and the answer again is yes and no…
Sufi’s are not accepted by literalists, or those Muslims that view their religion strictly on a Sharia level…just as many Catholics (and others) are not accepted by fundamentalist Christians
Unfortunately, the Muslims you hear about in the media are usually of the same ilk as the fundamentalists Christians you hear about in the media…
Ironically, these two groups share more similarities than differences…

thank you all for your words and kind intentions…
May God keep you in His Grace and Mercy,
zhati

 

[MartinJordan]

Salaam Sisters and Brothers,
Thank you for your responses and questions…
Its very interesting to me how many of them fit together…
The very same realization that I had which caused me to fall away from the Catholic Church (from all organized religion, actually) is the answer to some of the questions posed…

Someone asked me if I believe Truth is relative…the answer is yes…and no…
One of the 99 names for God in Islam is “Haqq”…loosely translated, this means “Truth”…In my early 20’s I realized that defining Truth according to dogma was the cause of much conflict and violence in our world.
In reality (which is another nuanced definition of Haqq), there are many different levels of understanding any one idea.
There is the literal understanding…what is called literalist, or in Islam, the “sharia” understanding. In Christianity, fundamentalists generally interpret the scriptures at this level. At this level of understanding, truth is objective and factual…and usually very limited.

Then there is the level of understanding at the “haqiqat” level…this is a mystical interpretation of scripture, faith…indeed life itself…

those of you familiar with the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Francis of Assisi are well acquainted with this level of understanding. (Incidentally, these Saints are also much revered by Sufis)

On this level, Truth is subjective, and is something to be EXPERIENCED rather than understood with one’s mind…this is much closer to the meaning of Haqq as a Divine Name.

How do I know what is Truth?
Truth is whatever overflows my heart with love and goodness…and to answer your question, my friend…this is the only Real way to get to know God!

Think about this…
are you closer to God when you win a theological argument, or when you embrace someone with tenderness?
Thoughts are just that…thoughts…
and beliefs are made of thoughts…
Truth is far deeper than the mind…and it belies mere thought forms…
God, Love, and Truth are One and the Same…Succinctly put…it is the very Essence and Sanctity of all Life…
Whatever diminishes this is evil
Whatever increases this is holy

In Sufism I have learned to connect to this deeper Reality through the practices of zikr, salat, and tesbih…(if anyone’s interested, Ill explain these…but dont want to give information that isnt pertinent in this forum).

Someone asked me why I chose not to return to Catholicism…
the short answer is that my teacher and my path appeared in the form of a Sheikha (who incidentally is also a convert from Catholicism!)…had s/he appeared as a priest or a nun, I would have returned to Catholicism.
Its important to stress that to me, the religious form doesnt really matter at all…
The founding saint of our order used to say that sufism is like clear water and the various religions are different colored glasses…no matter which glass you drink from, your thirst is quenched…

Finally, someone asked if Sufi’s are accepted by mainstream Muslims…and the answer again is yes and no…
Sufi’s are not accepted by literalists, or those Muslims that view their religion strictly on a Sharia level…just as many Catholics (and others) are not accepted by fundamentalist Christians
Unfortunately, the Muslims you hear about in the media are usually of the same ilk as the fundamentalists Christians you hear about in the media…
Ironically, these two groups share more similarities than differences…

thank you all for your words and kind intentions…
May God keep you in His Grace and Mercy,
zhati

I appreciate your sincerity Zhati. Perhaps things work for you this way.

That said there is so much of Catholicism and the Truth of Christ that just comparing other Christians to us and comparing behaviour by Christians.

It is clear Sufi or any branch of Islam takes bit and pieces of Christianity. Keep in mind the word Sufi comes from the Greek word “Sophia” which means Wisdom.

Just thought of these things when you shared the above.

Godbless,

MJ