<3 Islam & Allah

Salaam alaykum.

Recently I reverted to Islam. I live in America, & did not know much about the religion until my friend introduced me to it. At first I wasn't really interested, because I thought it would be like every other religion I studied, but I started reading the Quran & just loved the message & felt it was something I could truly believe in.

After about a 1/3 of the way through the Quran, I decided to state the Shahada & revert. It's the best thing I ever decided to do in life. Growing up, I was taught Christianity, but felt the religion was based off the the wrong ideas & concepts. The teachings of Christ were great, but having a religion centered on his death, and that there is only salvation through Christ just felt was wrong. So when I read in the Quran how Jews, Christians, etc. could all enter paradise inshaAllah, it really made me realize that Islam is the correct religion as it is a great unifier.

Sometimes though it can seem a bit alienating, being a recently reverted white Muslim in America, but I try to keep the faith. Also there is much for me to learn, & being a good Muslim is not something that will happen overnight.

May Allah strengthen you in Islam,

Praise be to Allah! May Allah make it easy for you and keep your heart firm on the straight path! Ameen!

Salaam alaykum.

Recently I reverted to Islam. I live in America, & did not know much about the religion until my friend introduced me to it. At first I wasn't really interested, because I thought it would be like every other religion I studied, but I started reading the Quran & just loved the message & felt it was something I could truly believe in.

After about a 1/3 of the way through the Quran, I decided to state the Shahada & revert. It's the best thing I ever decided to do in life. Growing up, I was taught Christianity, but felt the religion was based off the the wrong ideas & concepts. The teachings of Christ were great, but having a religion centered on his death, and that there is only salvation through Christ just felt was wrong. So when I read in the Quran how Jews, Christians, etc. could all enter paradise inshaAllah, it really made me realize that Islam is the correct religion as it is a great unifier.

Wa alaikum salam

May God bless you and increase you in good.

Bro, I just want to mention that being a modern Jew or a Christian doesn't get you Paradise as God says in the Qur'an:

They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. (5:72)

Those who deny Allah and His messengers, and (those who) wish to separate Allah from His messengers, saying: "We believe in some but reject others": And (those who) wish to take a course midway,-

They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment.

To those who believe in Allah and His messengers and make no distinction between any of the messengers, we shall soon give their (due) rewards: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (4:150-152)

The verse which says that the Jews, Christians and Sabians who believe in God and the Last Day is in reference the previous nations. The Jews who followed the true teachings of Moses, peace be upon him, and Christians Jesus, peace be upon him. However, even Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them, would have to follow Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, otherwise they would be astray.

Sometimes though it can seem a bit alienating, being a recently reverted white Muslim in America, but I try to keep the faith. Also there is much for me to learn, & being a good Muslim is not something that will happen overnight.

It is understandable that it can feel a bit alienating at times but one good principle to keep is the following one:

Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not. (2:216)

Take care

Asalaamu alaykum,

Many thanks for your sincere response, but the Quran is quite clear in regards to the ability of Jews and Christians to gain entrance into Paradise. Take 2:111, which states "They also say, 'No one will enter Paradise unless he is a Jew or a Christian.' This is their own wishful thinking. [Prophet], say 'Produce your evidence, if you are telling the truth.' In fact, any who direct themselves wholly to God and do good will have their reward with the Lord..."

Sure some may be misguided, in that they pay tribute to the creation rather than the creator, but we are all sinners, we are all misguided in some respect, no matter how hard we try. Modern day Christians do not join another "God" with Allah, rather they believe that there is only one God who manifests himself in various forms. To firmly state that a Christian or a Jew is barred from Paradise for believe what he or she was taught as a child is wrong, it is a matter between that person and Allah. I personally cannot believe that a person who truly dedicated their life to Allah, did good, and lived a righteous life would be absolutely barred from Paradise just because he or she chose to call themselves Jews or Christians. This is as if to say people like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, etc. are barred...

salaam
serene
your instinct
that Allah would not hurt those sincere to Allah
is very sane and correct
there is no arguing about that
and
sincerely, one can only wish good for the other
whether the other chooses good is upto that person
donot feel alienated
your views of present day jews and christians maybe closer to truth
than a born muslims'
so instead of feeling alienated
try abbridging the gap
between the two mindsets(if u think u have the energy and time)
actually
quran
regularly read every day
explains all questions itself that arise in that regularly heeding mind.
Thankyou for sharing
the answers that you sensed were too harsh
were also not mal-intended
and gandhi, serene
was an idol worshipper
neither christian nor jew
salaam

Asalaamu alaykum,

Many thanks for your sincere response, but the Quran is quite clear in regards to the ability of Jews and Christians to gain entrance into Paradise. Take 2:111, which states "They also say, 'No one will enter Paradise unless he is a Jew or a Christian.' This is their own wishful thinking. [Prophet], say 'Produce your evidence, if you are telling the truth.' In fact, any who direct themselves wholly to God and do good will have their reward with the Lord..."

Sure some may be misguided, in that they pay tribute to the creation rather than the creator, but we are all sinners, we are all misguided in some respect, no matter how hard we try. Modern day Christians do not join another "God" with Allah, rather they believe that there is only one God who manifests himself in various forms. To firmly state that a Christian or a Jew is barred from Paradise for believe what he or she was taught as a child is wrong, it is a matter between that person and Allah. I personally cannot believe that a person who truly dedicated their life to Allah, did good, and lived a righteous life would be absolutely barred from Paradise just because he or she chose to call themselves Jews or Christians. This is as if to say people like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, etc. are barred...

SereneReverie,
I hope I will not upset you here, but I do have to correct your misperception because you did not understand how the Quran was written. May I elaborate here?( Brackets and Bold Type is my highlighting the possible misunderstanding.)

You have to read Quran 2:111 in conjunction with 2:112 with differing translations quoted here:

[2.111] And they(Jews and Christians) say(claim): None shall enter the garden (or paradise) (heaven) except he who is a Jew or a Christian. These are their(Jews and Christians) vain desires. Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful. (What the Jews and Christians are saying are lies, and not proven.)
[2.112] Yes! (BUT) whoever submits himself entirely to Allah(reverts to Islam) and he is the doer of good (to others) he has his reward from his Lord (Allah), and there is no fear for him nor shall he grieve. (But if Jews and Christians submit to Allah, they will be rewarded with Paradise.)

So my interpretation of 2:111-112 is quite different from your understanding of the verse.
Here are three other interpretations of the same verses:

002.111
YUSUFALI: And they(Jews and Christians) say: "None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian." Those are their(Jews and Christians) (vain) desires. Say: "Produce your proof if ye are truthful." (What the Jews and Christians claims are lies.)
PICKTHAL: And they say: None entereth paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their own desires. Say: Bring your proof (of what ye state) if ye are truthful.
SHAKIR: And they say: None shall enter the garden (or paradise) except he who is a Jew or a Christian. These are their vain desires. Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful.

002.112
YUSUFALI: (But) Nay,-whoever submits His whole self to Allah(reverts to Islam) and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord(Allah); on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
PICKTHAL: Nay, but whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
SHAKIR: Yes! whoever submits himself entirely to Allah and he is the doer of good (to others) he has his reward from his Lord, and there is no fear for him nor shall he grieve.

Serene, I simply wanted to correct your misunderstanding that the Quran says, "Jews and Christians will go to Paradise." It does not say that at all. But it is not important. Congratulations on your reversion and I hope you will find happiness.

Asalaamu alaykum,

Wa alaikumu as-salam.

Many thanks for your sincere response, but the Quran is quite clear in regards to the ability of Jews and Christians to gain entrance into Paradise.

The Jews and Christians who followed the authentic teachings of their Prophets (pbut) will enter Paradise. However, if they were exposed to the Truth which Islam and rejected it and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they will enter Hell. If they weren't exposed to the Truth (Islam), they will tested by God on the Day of Judgement. God will take a covenant from them and He will ask them to enter. Whoever enters Hell will find it safe and cool and will enter Paradise after that brief but tremendous trial. Those who don't enter will end up thrown in Hell.

Sure some may be misguided, in that they pay tribute to the creation rather than the creator, but we are all sinners, we are all misguided in some respect, no matter how hard we try. Modern day Christians do not join another "God" with Allah, rather they believe that there is only one God who manifests himself in various forms.

This is wholly incorrect.

They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. (5:72)

Like the verse says, those who say and believe that God is Jesus (pbuh) are in fact practicing Shirk which is a broader term and it doesn't mean solely "joining other gods".

Those who say that God manifests Himself in various forms, i.e. as Jesus (pbuh), are disbelievers. Those who say he is the Son of God and a Lord are disbelievers. No way around this.

They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! (9:31)

And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.

Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing

Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins,

That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son,

When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.

There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave. (19:88-93)

To firmly state that a Christian or a Jew is barred from Paradise for believe what he or she was taught as a child is wrong, it is a matter between that person and Allah.

Like I said, if such a person is exposed to Islam, he will be in Hell. If he wasn't exposed, he might still have a change like explained above.

I personally cannot believe that a person who truly dedicated their life to Allah, did good, and lived a righteous life would be absolutely barred from Paradise just because he or she chose to call themselves Jews or Christians. This is as if to say people like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, etc. are barred...

Well, we can't speak of the fate of specific people. But for the sake of arguement, let's say Islam was presented to these people and they rejected it, didn't accept it, then their end is Hell. It doesn't matter how much good they did if they rejected the Truth.

Those who deny Allah and His messengers, and (those who) wish to separate Allah from His messengers, saying: "We believe in some but reject others": And (those who) wish to take a course midway,-

They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment.

To those who believe in Allah and His messengers and make no distinction between any of the messengers, we shall soon give their (due) rewards: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (4:150-152)

SereneReverie, it would seem that you need to receive guidance in your interpretation of the Quran/Islam as you study it. But there is much you can do for yourself by doing a bit of self education on the internet. I suggest that you look at sites like the following and many more to get an overall picture of Islam.

(1) you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_understand-Islam(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/site/

(2) you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetuga.edu/Islam/quran.html

and many many more such sites because I believe you may be seeing Islam in the way you want to see Islam, and not what Islam really is. Please study it more thoroughly because I think you have gone astray so far.

Asalaamu alaykum,

Seriously? I have gone astray? I think you really have to look within yourself & question if you are really in the heart of Allah. Whether a person gains entrance in Paradise or not, really isn't my concern. It's a personal matter between the individual & Allah. I'm sorry, but the Quran is very clear that Jews & Christians are "people of the book." I for one grew up in a Judeo-Christian school, I knew zilch about the the ways of Islam until about a year ago. I heard of Islam's message, but until you sit down and contemplate it seriously, the message passes right through. There are over 20 major religions in the world, how many have you sat down to contemplate seriously, & out of those, how many say you will end up in hell if you do not subscribe exactly to their vision of Allah? To say that I would go to hell, simply because I never took the time to read about another religion is ignorant. Do you know the mind of Allah? Why then condemn another set of people when it is not your position? Are you really reading the Quran with an open mind & an open heart, or are you doing exactly as those before you taught? The Quran warns against those people as well.

5:68-69

"Say, 'People of the Book, you have no true basis unless you uphold the Torah, the Gospel, and that which has been sent down to you from your Lord,' but what has been sent down to you [Prophet] from your Lord is sure to increase many of them in their insolence and defiance: do not worry about those who defy [God]. Those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), the Sabians and the Christians, those of them who believed in God and the Last Day and worked righteous deeds, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."

5:68-69

"Say, 'People of the Book, you have no true basis unless you uphold the Torah, the Gospel, and that which has been sent down to you from your Lord,' but what has been sent down to you [Prophet] from your Lord is sure to increase many of them in their insolence and defiance: do not worry about those who defy [God]. Those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), the Sabians and the Christians, those of them who believed in God and the Last Day and worked righteous deeds, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."

As-salamu alaikum

If you read the verse again and understand it in its proper context, things will become clear. Look at what it says. It says that the People of the Book won't have no true basis until they uphold the Torah, the Gospel and that which has been sent down from your Lord. Then it goes on to say that which has been down on to you (second person singular, i.e. the Prophet Muhammad) increases them in rebellion and Kufr (which means disbelief). Then it says do not grieve (addressing the Prophet) over the disbelieving people, i.e. don't grieve over the Jews and the Christians due to their disbelief.

The verse which says that the Jews, Sabians and Christians won't grieve refers to those who believed in the actual message of their respective Prophets (pbut). For example, the Jews who followed Moses (pbuh) and obeyed him are in Paradise. However, Jews who rejected Jesus (pbuh) or any other Prophet before him like Elijah, John, Zacharias (pbut) will be in Hell.

Yes, the Qur'an is very clear that the Jews and Christians are people of the Book and this what it says about them:

Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures. (98:6)

Read these verses again, too:

They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. (5:72)

Those who deny Allah and His messengers, and (those who) wish to separate Allah from His messengers, saying: "We believe in some but reject others": And (those who) wish to take a course midway,-

They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment.

To those who believe in Allah and His messengers and make no distinction between any of the messengers, we shall soon give their (due) rewards: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (4:150-152)

Assalamu Alaikum brother!
Mabrook!
Welcome to the forums.
I am also a revert living in the USA =]
Where are you located?