Ever since I can remember, I have been a student of Life. As a young child, I can remember looking at the stars in the night sky and trying to decipher the messages I was convinced that they contained. I believed then that if I could unravel the messages, I would learn the true meaning of life. I had questions I needed answered throughout my teenage life and could find no satisfactory explanation in all the books I read or from all the "learned" people I questioned. And I had a lot of questions I wanted answered convincingly. What exactly is a “human being"? What is my purpose for being? What is the purpose of Death? Is the Day of Judgment real? Why is there a Day of Judgment? What is Heaven? What is Hell? Why do evil people seem to prosper while good people suffer? Who or what is God? Who or what is the Devil? Why was he after humans? Most importantly, after I die, what happens next? To me, these have been vital questions that must be answered for me to enjoy my existence on planet Earth. My heart and my brain were not satisfied until that day when the Quran came into my life and began giving me startlingly clear insights into my Life and its purpose.
What I am Not
The information you will read here is not a scholarly treatise. I am not a “Quranic Scholar”. I am not a Muslim Imam. I am not thoroughly versed in the Law and history of Islam and the Quran. I do not know all the Hadith (teachings attributed to Prophet Muhammad Mustafa [peace be upon him]). I am not a Guru or Spiritual Leader of any kind. The Quran is written in Arabic and I am not an Arab nor do I speak the language. I study the English Translation of the Quran provided by Yusuf Ali. I am not the most learned of Muslims you will ever meet nor am I the best example of a practicing Muslim. I am not trying to convert you to Islam or to turn you away from your beliefs. I am not an evangelist of any sort nor am I a prophet or messenger of any kind. As a matter of fact, those who know me will tell you that I am not a “religious” man. I am simply a man who has found a message that answers my questions and that I can believe in.
What I Am and Why I am Writing
I am a father of 6 children and grandfather of several more. All of my kids are already grown and are raising children of their own. Like me, they have questions about Life and its purpose and meaning. This information is primarily for them. If it benefits anyone else, I pray that they will pass this on to those they love and cherish. I have been a student of the Quran for many years and will continue to be until the day of my last breath. I was 21 years old when the Quran found me. I say this seriously, because I had given up on ever finding the answers I needed to make my life worthwhile. I had not known that the Quran existed nor what was its message. I had been an avid student of the Bible until it could no longer stand up to in-depth scrutiny nor answer my questions. Empty religious dogma and rituals did not quench my thirst for knowledge nor did they interest me any longer. Then I existed in the land of the bewildered, until I met a Muslim from whom I demanded a look at the message that had shaped him into the man I had come to know. That encounter changed my life, as I hope this information I present here will help to change yours. The information I present to you is a condensation of the insights into Life that the Quran gave me and is a purely personal perspective. It does not represent the views of any Muslim sect nor is it sanctioned by any “religious” authority. These are my personal Quranic insights into my personal questions about Life. Your answers may be different. May Allah guide you in your quest for truth and knowledge.
Necessary Tools for Understanding This Information
The perspectives presented here are all derived from my study of the Quran. I shall be quoting citations from the English Translation of The Quran by Yusuf Ali. Although there are many other translations, I have found this one easy to understand yet most elegant in translation. It is not my purpose to agree with his conclusions or his approach to the message. However, he provides extensive, informed background and insights into the conditions existing during the time of exposition of the Quran and for many events mentioned by Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] in the Quran. In some instances, I shall write the entire verses I am citing, while at others I shall quote the beginning and end of the verses. Therefore, I would encourage interested readers to acquire a copy of this translation of the Quran so that they can follow the context in which I write and draw my conclusions. Check with the Muslim mosque in your area to see if you can receive a copy of the Quran (it may be free of charge). I must caution you that the Nation of Islam and the Ahmadiyyah Movement are not credible sources for obtaining materials on Islam. You will fare much better seeking out the Sunni mosques in your area. As you read the Quran, in book form, please keep in mind that this entire message was presented by Muhammad [pbuh] as a live, spontaneous, continuing dialogue, at various times, over a period of 23 years to an audience of real people who used it to change their personal lives and communities.
My Philosophical Approach
In my studies, I read the chapters of the Quran in sequence. I have found this practice most enlightening and informative and I will be commenting on sequential verses and chapters of the Quran. Sometimes, one verse may provoke lengthy insights, at other times, I may require several verses to obtain the insights I comment upon. It is not my purpose to create a scholarly treatise or alternative interpretation of the Quran. I am simply sharing my personal insights into my personal questions about life, as obtained from my current study of the message of the Quran. Personally, I accept the Quran according to its own definitions of itself. I take it at face value. You do not have to. Personally, I have accepted Islam as my lifestyle. You do not have to, nor am I asking you to. Personally, I accept the Quranic concept that the entire expanse of the Universe, with all its myriad life-forms, planets, constellations and solar systems, is the work of only One, Indivisible, Unimaginable, Omnipotent and Omniscient Being to whom it will always belong. You do not have to. The Quran claims itself to be a Message from this Being, which it calls Allah, to all humans and intelligent creatures on planet Earth. This is the philosophical approach that I accept and use in my study of its teachings.
One Simple But Necessary Request
The only request that I make of my readers, is that they study this Message, without religious prejudice or bigotry, for the purpose of understanding what it is presenting to them. Approach the study of the Quran with the same healthy curiosity that you would any other book that you have never read before. I am aware that such a request may be impossible for some of you, but I feel that it is the only way that you will be able to appreciate the depth and insights of the Quran. If you engage in a dialogue with the Quran, it will speak to you like it continues to speak to me.
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Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Islam: It's About You and Your Life Philosophy
This blog is personal. Every opinion expressed here, every insight given, every philosophical concept, every question answered, is all personal. It reflects the philosophical evolution of an ordinary person taught a new concept of Life by the Quran, Islam's Holy Book. I consider myself a work in progress. I will always be a work in progress, Islamic progress. I want to achieve the mental state of Muslim: total submission of my ego and desires to the Will of Allah. This blog, therefore, will be an insight into the personal journey of an ordinary man's transformation from ignorance to enlightenment, using the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to answer the troubling questions of Life, as I know it.
For those of you who follow my evolution, I will be saying things with which you may agree and things with which you will disagree. I am ok with that. This blog is not for your pleasure, it is for my experience.
So if you find some benefit from my insights, feel free to use them. If you wish me to clarify for you how I arrive at a particular conclusion, feel free to ask. I will answer your question to the best of my ability and reserve the right to speak freely and personally to you. I am not speaking to you as a member of a group, class or denomination, not now, not ever! All my observations about anything will be as I personally feel about it. YOU are free to agree or disagree with MY views. Having said that, and hopefully laid the foundation for my upcoming observations, here's a snapshot about me.
I was born 61 years ago in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. My father was a carpenter and my mom was a homemaker. We were nominally Christians. We based our life philosophy on the veracity of the Biblical view of life as we understood it. My parents were not church-going folk. Their time was preoccupied with providing sustenance for 10 siblings and I from the meager resources of a carpenter's salary and a home-maker's earnings. However, as kids, our lives were tolerable and carefree. Our parents ensured we all got an education; some of us more than others. Along with 3 of my brothers, I completed a High school education at one the more prestigious schools in my area. I attended the national University for less than 3 months because my understanding of the printed facts of History did not jibe with the spoken views I was expected to accept. You could say that I was rather unconventional in my view of historical (and political) reality. My professor and I mutually agreed that I would not succeed at academics if I could not accept the "official" explanations of world events.
As a child, I always had strong interest in God and "religious" matters. Although my family was officially Anglican (English Catholic), I learned most of my Christian views from itinerant Baptist and Evangelical preachers until I attended a Catholic high school for further education. Priests, in my youth, were considered to be the ultimate source of "religious" knowledge. They were portrayed as having a direct link to God; they could forgive your "sins" and make things alright between you and God just like that. They could give you Penance, (a task that clears your sinful state), if you confessed your sins to them and you would not have to worry about going to Hell (a very bad place) when you died. Attending high school gave me open access to priests, so I voraciously absorbed as much "religious knowledge" as I could get. Meeting a monk was the highlight of my youth! I decided there and then that I would become a monk one day so that I, too, could be closer to God than other people.
But first, I had to become a priest. I began attending Catholic studies with the aim of perfectly understanding everything about religion. I hung on every word the instructing priests said...until we came to the part about "divine mysteries". Something wasn't right with the explanations. I had always been taught that God was NOT a man; that He had neither mother nor father; that He could NOT die; that we could NOT see Him in this life. I was ok with that. After all, priests and preachers would not lie about God...or would they? I had also been taught that the Bible was the absolute "word of God", absolute Truth. To satisfy my mind and reconcile my heart to the "divine mysteries" being taught by the priests, I began studying the Bible "with a fine-tooth comb", as we say back home. The more I studied, the more questions I developed. I accepted the story of Jesus (peace be upon him) being the "son" of God, but could not accept the idea that God would commit adultery with Mary to produce a child, since adultery and fornication were condemned as "grievious sins". I could not understand the concept of Jesus being "God Himself" as a man born from a woman He had impregnated Himself. I struggled terribly with the concept of God being "three different persons" but still only "One" being. My mind was horribly twisted when I tried to fathom the concept that Mary was the "mother" of God, who was the "father" of Jesus, who was God Himself and the "son" of God at the same time. The Bible confirmed that God had no mother or father.
Something was terribly wrong here. God would not lie to us, would He? He would not condemn adultery while doing it Himself, would He? How could he be His own father and son and impregnate His own mother? Why would He allow Himself to be killed by a mob of sinful humans so that He could forgive them for the sin of their ancestors and their wrongdoings in the future? Why put Himself through all that torture when He had the power to simply forgive and let bygones be bygones? I was taught that God COULD NOT DIE! I felt that "Something" was wrong with the whole story. Finally, in a bid to clarify my understanding, I asked the priest about these "divine mysteries" that I could not fathom no matter how faithfully I tried. He shocked me into understanding that I was being a child of Satan to harbor such questions. I had to accept the official dogma on something called Faith or I could not go to Heaven. I was crushed. All my hopes and dreams were dashed. My life was over. I had nothing left to live for if I could not go to Heaven. What was the use of trying to live a good life if I was already condemned to Hell and there was nothing I could do about it? I accepted the priest's condemnation wholeheartedly. After all, he had the hook-up with God and he would know these things.
Needless to say, My life went steadily downhill after that. My early adulthood was a crap shoot. I had no sense of value as a human being. Heck, nobody I talked to could tell me what a human being was. So I passed the time in one distraction or another. Finally, I discovered that there were other life philosophies which differed from the Christian viewpoint. I dabbled in "Eastern" philosophies for a while but never could reconcile idol-worship with reality. It just never made sense to me how worshiping a statue you made could work for you. I became irreverent until the Quran found me one day. It found me; I never even knew the Quran existed.
At 21, I was something of a smart-ass. I used to make fun of a Muslim co-worker. I was a constant thorn in his side. The characteristic I most recall about him was his patience with me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not rile him. He answered my most ridiculous questions seriously. He would absorb my taunts without flinching. He would give me pertinent answers for my twisted comments. He never lost his cool with me, no matter what. Finally, I asked him about his life philosophy. He told me it was called Islam. Curious, I demanded to read the Quran upon which this philosophy was based. He reluctantly gave me a copy, along with a host of handling instructions. It was an eye-opener! It answered all the most haunting questions I had been living with until then. It also assured me that no man had power over the mercy of God and that God had the final say over a man's fate at a future meeting called Judgement Day - a day that comes after one's death. It also explained to me that my current behavior helps determine my future destination at the hands of God. It also offered to show me how to change my behavior day by day to create for myself a life worth living with a chance of Mercy from God on the Day of Judgement. I accepted that offer and here I am today, still pursuing that course. I am becoming Muslim and I want to tell you about my experiences on the path.
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So if you find some benefit from my insights, feel free to use them. If you wish me to clarify for you how I arrive at a particular conclusion, feel free to ask. I will answer your question to the best of my ability and reserve the right to speak freely and personally to you. I am not speaking to you as a member of a group, class or denomination, not now, not ever! All my observations about anything will be as I personally feel about it. YOU are free to agree or disagree with MY views. Having said that, and hopefully laid the foundation for my upcoming observations, here's a snapshot about me.
I was born 61 years ago in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. My father was a carpenter and my mom was a homemaker. We were nominally Christians. We based our life philosophy on the veracity of the Biblical view of life as we understood it. My parents were not church-going folk. Their time was preoccupied with providing sustenance for 10 siblings and I from the meager resources of a carpenter's salary and a home-maker's earnings. However, as kids, our lives were tolerable and carefree. Our parents ensured we all got an education; some of us more than others. Along with 3 of my brothers, I completed a High school education at one the more prestigious schools in my area. I attended the national University for less than 3 months because my understanding of the printed facts of History did not jibe with the spoken views I was expected to accept. You could say that I was rather unconventional in my view of historical (and political) reality. My professor and I mutually agreed that I would not succeed at academics if I could not accept the "official" explanations of world events.
As a child, I always had strong interest in God and "religious" matters. Although my family was officially Anglican (English Catholic), I learned most of my Christian views from itinerant Baptist and Evangelical preachers until I attended a Catholic high school for further education. Priests, in my youth, were considered to be the ultimate source of "religious" knowledge. They were portrayed as having a direct link to God; they could forgive your "sins" and make things alright between you and God just like that. They could give you Penance, (a task that clears your sinful state), if you confessed your sins to them and you would not have to worry about going to Hell (a very bad place) when you died. Attending high school gave me open access to priests, so I voraciously absorbed as much "religious knowledge" as I could get. Meeting a monk was the highlight of my youth! I decided there and then that I would become a monk one day so that I, too, could be closer to God than other people.
But first, I had to become a priest. I began attending Catholic studies with the aim of perfectly understanding everything about religion. I hung on every word the instructing priests said...until we came to the part about "divine mysteries". Something wasn't right with the explanations. I had always been taught that God was NOT a man; that He had neither mother nor father; that He could NOT die; that we could NOT see Him in this life. I was ok with that. After all, priests and preachers would not lie about God...or would they? I had also been taught that the Bible was the absolute "word of God", absolute Truth. To satisfy my mind and reconcile my heart to the "divine mysteries" being taught by the priests, I began studying the Bible "with a fine-tooth comb", as we say back home. The more I studied, the more questions I developed. I accepted the story of Jesus (peace be upon him) being the "son" of God, but could not accept the idea that God would commit adultery with Mary to produce a child, since adultery and fornication were condemned as "grievious sins". I could not understand the concept of Jesus being "God Himself" as a man born from a woman He had impregnated Himself. I struggled terribly with the concept of God being "three different persons" but still only "One" being. My mind was horribly twisted when I tried to fathom the concept that Mary was the "mother" of God, who was the "father" of Jesus, who was God Himself and the "son" of God at the same time. The Bible confirmed that God had no mother or father.
Something was terribly wrong here. God would not lie to us, would He? He would not condemn adultery while doing it Himself, would He? How could he be His own father and son and impregnate His own mother? Why would He allow Himself to be killed by a mob of sinful humans so that He could forgive them for the sin of their ancestors and their wrongdoings in the future? Why put Himself through all that torture when He had the power to simply forgive and let bygones be bygones? I was taught that God COULD NOT DIE! I felt that "Something" was wrong with the whole story. Finally, in a bid to clarify my understanding, I asked the priest about these "divine mysteries" that I could not fathom no matter how faithfully I tried. He shocked me into understanding that I was being a child of Satan to harbor such questions. I had to accept the official dogma on something called Faith or I could not go to Heaven. I was crushed. All my hopes and dreams were dashed. My life was over. I had nothing left to live for if I could not go to Heaven. What was the use of trying to live a good life if I was already condemned to Hell and there was nothing I could do about it? I accepted the priest's condemnation wholeheartedly. After all, he had the hook-up with God and he would know these things.
Needless to say, My life went steadily downhill after that. My early adulthood was a crap shoot. I had no sense of value as a human being. Heck, nobody I talked to could tell me what a human being was. So I passed the time in one distraction or another. Finally, I discovered that there were other life philosophies which differed from the Christian viewpoint. I dabbled in "Eastern" philosophies for a while but never could reconcile idol-worship with reality. It just never made sense to me how worshiping a statue you made could work for you. I became irreverent until the Quran found me one day. It found me; I never even knew the Quran existed.
At 21, I was something of a smart-ass. I used to make fun of a Muslim co-worker. I was a constant thorn in his side. The characteristic I most recall about him was his patience with me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not rile him. He answered my most ridiculous questions seriously. He would absorb my taunts without flinching. He would give me pertinent answers for my twisted comments. He never lost his cool with me, no matter what. Finally, I asked him about his life philosophy. He told me it was called Islam. Curious, I demanded to read the Quran upon which this philosophy was based. He reluctantly gave me a copy, along with a host of handling instructions. It was an eye-opener! It answered all the most haunting questions I had been living with until then. It also assured me that no man had power over the mercy of God and that God had the final say over a man's fate at a future meeting called Judgement Day - a day that comes after one's death. It also explained to me that my current behavior helps determine my future destination at the hands of God. It also offered to show me how to change my behavior day by day to create for myself a life worth living with a chance of Mercy from God on the Day of Judgement. I accepted that offer and here I am today, still pursuing that course. I am becoming Muslim and I want to tell you about my experiences on the path.
***********************************************************************************
Want deeper Insights, DOWNLOAD MY FREE BOOK
************************************************************************************
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