#actually muslim

[this-is-anti-islam]

Crash Course on What is Islam 101

[Plain Text: Crash Course on What is Islam 101]

Pt 1: Islam and it's basics

Islam is an Monotheistic Abrahamic Religion, meaning that the religion is based on worshipping the God of Abraham. It shares this category with Judaism and Christianity.

The word Islam (إسلام) has three root letters S-L-M (س-ل-م). Those root words general meaning is Peace, Saftey and Submission etc.

The followers of Islam are called Muslims (capital M btw) Muslims means "those who sumbit". Together Muslims are called the 'Ummah' aka the wider Muslim community.

Most Muslims refer to God as Allah (SWT) , Allah just means 'The God' in Arabic. Allah does have a different name however, 99 beautiful names in fact.

Muslims believe that Allah (SWT) is the one true god and Prophet Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah (SAW/PBUH) is his final messenger. Allah (SWT) has no wife, no children and no equal according to the Quran (Islam's Holy Book).

Prophet Muhammad (SAW/PBUH) on the other hand is simply a human being, we do not worship him at all. We just respect him, his family and his companions to the second highest degree.

You might be wondering what does the acronyms of (SWT) and (SAW/PBUH) mean. SWT means Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, "Glory to Him, The Exalted". SAW means Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Salam, "May Allah give peace and blessings upon him". PBUH is another way to say Peace Be Upon Him.

Islam has Six Pillars of Faith; Belief of Allah, Belief in His prophets, Belief in His Angels, Belief in His Holy Books and Belief in the Day of Judgement.

Not to be confused with the Five Pillars of Islam; Proclaimation of Faith (Shahada), Observation of Salah (Prayer), Giving Charity (Zakat), Observing Fasting in the Holy Month of Ramadan (Saum) and Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (Hajj)

I'll talk more about the Pillars of Faith and the Pillars of Islam tomorrow inshallah, have a good day!

[thoolibul-ilm]

muslims struggling with hygiene

for muslims struggling with hygiene as a result of their mental health, remember that allah is ar rauf the most compassionate and ar rahman the most kind.

your struggle to get up and clean yourself doesn't alienate you from allah. you may not be able to take wudhu and shower but you are still attempting to and even when you can't, you still had the intention to which counts.

allah loves those who continuously clean المتطهرين but he also loves التوابين those who continuously repent, your attempts matter.

[fandomsareforlife]

Hot take but I think Muslims who are queer should be allowed to be open in supposedly lgbt spaces about being Muslim and queer

[float-upstream]

i wholeheartedly believe Muslim women have 0% space to struggle with faith - everything is a political statement. Everything is so much more visible when it comes to us. In the West, a muslim woman taking off her hijab is seen as some sort of admittance that islam and all it stands for is evil - in Muslim countries, seen as moral failing, crime, or a decline in culture. I asked my mom a few years back why she wore the Hijab and she told me about when she was watching a documentary on Malaysia - and how she instantly clocked it as footage from a Muslim country because of veiled women in the streets and it struck her as a kind of unitary ritual - visual reminder of relationships between these women. I didn't see it that way, i saw it as a burden. Men simply don't have to be that visible with their faith. They could easily pretend, or not care. Everything is reversible.

I recognize how lucky i am compared to other muslim women who don't have as much space to struggle or even consider other options. I've been struggling in my relationship with religion ever since i was twelve and it's been fraught at best - as i grew older, different people have been considering me different things because of how i choose to present myself - stretched across political statements and directions because of a piece of cloth. it's exhausting.

[indigosabyss]

so,,, hypothetically,,, if you were in an apocalypse, and had a magic computer, and accidentally summoned a muslim catboy from another dimension, what would you do?

Also, is there a market for this type of literature???

[sweetdreamspootypie]

@Muslimblr re:Covid19. Text from official statement.

The text for those who don't have Facebook: UCNZ - Ulama Council of New Zealand's Official Statement on COVID 19. Please circulate and share All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. This is a public statement about the Islamic perspective on communicable diseases in general and corona virus (COVID-19) in particular. The rapid spread of this virus has created much anxiety and fear, and looks set to having major economic impact for New Zealand, indeed the whole world. Islam, being a complete code of life, provides guidance for such scenarios, but before stating specific and practical advice, it is useful to know some Islamic principles and legal maxims. • Life is a gift from Allah and must be preserved • Health is a blessing from Allah and must be safeguarded • Illness is a trial from Allah and must be fought • Collective benefit takes precedence over individual benefit • Risk of individual harm is endured in order to repel public harm • Aversion of harm takes priority over acquisition of benefit • Our worships and obligations are categorised in degrees of importance “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.” (Qur’an 4:59) We are obligated by Islam to follow instructions and directives from our government in such a matter. The relevant authorities have given specific guidelines in terms of hygiene, in fact, Muslims should already be maintaining the highest level of hygiene and cleanliness as part of their day-to-day routines, for example, making wudhu for prayers requires us to cleanse the hands and nostrils with water five times daily. When it comes to hygiene, seeking medical advice, self-isolation, utilisation of resources, and general movements, we must follow the directives from the relevant authorities. However, we want to clarify the degrees of importance of religious duties and suggest ways to minimise risks in line with the guidelines from the authorities. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “If you hear of an epidemic afflicting a land, do not enter it, and if it afflicts the land you are in, do not leave it.” (Bukhari) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said: “The ill should not be taken to the healthy.” (Muslim) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said: “Do not harm or reciprocate harm.” (Muwatta Imam Malik) Every Muslim knows and is taught that performing the five daily prayers is obligatory, that is why Masaajid are built. Praying in a congregation is required, but praying individually is permissible, praying on time is required but praying later is permissible, it all comes down to circumstances just as fasting during the month of Ramadhan is obligatory but making it up in later months is permissible depending on the circumstances. Some circumstances are valid and acceptable and some are not. Here we would like to inform our community that the current circumstances make it permissible for us to make some changes to our daily routines, for example, if you are feeling unwell then you must not go to the Masjid, you must pray in your home. Those for whom attendance at the Masjid was never obligatory to begin with should not go at all. For those who are well and able to attend the congregational prayers at the Masjid should minimise the time spent at the Masjid, i.e. pray your sunnah at home and arrive in time for the congregation then leave immediately to pray the rest of your sunnah at home. As a matter of fact, even in normal circumstances, it is preferable and more rewarding to pray sunnah at home. While in the Masjid you can greet each other verbally without having to shake hands or by hugging and kissing. The Imams can assist by making the sermons and prayers as short as possible. The governing bodies can assist by controlling access and keeping the place sanitised and sterile as best they can. If anyone thinks that they will get extra reward for the extra struggle of going to the Masjid while unwell, they are gravely mistaken and will be committing a sin by endangering other people’s health as the hadith of the Prophet says: “the ill should not be taken to the healthy.” Our religion teaches us to visit the sick, but under these circumstances, instead of physically visiting them we can make phone calls to inquire about their health. We should certainly look out for each other and support each other, particularly those who may be living alone or who may be more susceptible due to other preconditions, such as the sick and the elderly among us. Keep in mind the severity of the situation in light of the Qur’anic teaching that likens the killing of one life to killing humanity. We should be extremely cautious that we do not become means for the death of anyone else under any circumstances for it is a great sin. Our religion demands from us that we save ourselves as well as others. Keep also in mind that these guidelines are a temporary measure until such time as the situation has improved and the authorities have lifted the restrictions. This is trial from Allah but we must be optimistic and hopeful. Allah does not create a disease without creating its cure, which will be found in time inshaAllah. During this time of extraordinary situation, we should spend more time praying in our homes, repenting and making supplications. May Allah The Almighty have mercy on all humanity and save us all from this and all afflictions. Ameen. Ulama Council of New Zealand 17 March 2020

[this-is-anti-islam]

Crash Course on What is Islam 101

[Plain text: Crash Course on What is Islam 101]

Previous Lesson

Pt 2: The Pillars of Islam.

Like I mentioned yesterday, Islam has Five Pillars!

They are; Proclaimation of Faith (Shahada), Observation of Prayer (Salah), Giving Charity (Zakat), Observation of Fasting during Ramadhan (Saum) and Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (Hajj)

Proclaimation of Faith (Shahada) is what makes you a Muslim and part of the Ummah. We say the Shahada multiple times a day in Prayer! For your Shahada to be valid, you must believe in these two ideas.

1. Oneness of God (Tawhid): Declaring that Allah is the only true God and the sole creator, with no partners or equals.

2. Prophethood (Risalah): Acknowledging that Muhammad is God's final messenger sent to guide all humanity.

If you fully believe the two above than you can say the Shahada! Here is it in Arabic (with Harakat) and in English

(( أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ ))

"I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

If you say this and fully believe in Tawhid and Risalah. You're officially a Muslim (yay!)

Observation of Prayer (Salah) is the Second Pillar! We pray daily five times a day, at Dawn (Fajr), at Midday (Dhuhur), at Afternoon (Asr), at Dusk (Maghrib) and at Night (Isha)

For your prayer to be valid, you must be the following;

Being a Muslim, Being mentally sound, Being the age of understanding (7 years or older), Being in a state cleanliness (having wudhuu), Dressing Modestly (I highly suggest wearing your best clothes for Salah!), It being the correct time for prayer, Facing the Kaaba in Mecca and Having the Intention to Pray!

While that might sound like a lot, most of the time you probably checked these off automatically.

Of course, since this is a crash Course, I won't be explaining Salah in depth. But underneath are videos on how to make wudhuu and how to pray!

https://youtu.be/CO5O3JBjgGI

https://youtu.be/zalLv2NY98k

Giving Charity (Zakat) is self explanatory but there's some rules when it comes giving charity!

Also, don't confuse Zakat for Sadaqah. While they are both forms of charity that Allah loves. Zakat is a obligated part of Islam while Sadaqah is Sunnah (highly recommended but not needed)

If you are a Muslim with wealth above a certain limit, for one entire year you must donate 2.5% of that total wealth. It is a sin if you don't donate that 2.5%

You now be asking "Oh Farah, who do I give Zakat to?" The criteria is very specific, in Surah Tawbah 9:60 , Allah (SWT) lists 8 categories of people. They are the following

The poor, The needy, Those in debt, stranded travelers, those employed to collect Zakat, new Muslims, to free captives/slaves (not needed anymore in modern times) , or for the cause of Allah.

Also you cannot build Masjids/Mosques with Zakat money, Zakat is for people in need only. If you know someone that is struggling, you should give them Zakat.

Sadaqah on the other hand, you can give it to anyone in need and isn't only contained to giving money. Volunteering in your community is Sadaqah, teaching your younger cousins on how to ride a bike is Sadaqah, Subhanahu Allah even smiling at a stranger is Sadaqah!

Observation of Fasting during Ramadhan! This is a simple one. During the holy month of Ramadhan, you should fast from Dawn to Dusk if you are able to.

If you are either sick physically or mentally, too young or too old, pregnant or menstruating, or traveling abroad. You shouldn't fast for your health and safety.

Fasting starts at Dawn, you should eat and drink something beforehand to get you through the day. Then at Dusk you can eat after prayer. Fasting is to humble yourself and remind you 9f those in need. During Ramadhan, most Muslims try to learn more about the religion, like reading the holy book and paying extra attention to their Salah.

Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (Hajj) is also a simple one. If you have the money to go to Hajj and come back, you should go. But you must make sure that during your departure that your family (if they aren't coming with you) have enough money to be alone. Hajj is recommended to only do once in a person's lifetime and unlike the other pillars of Islam. People aren't judged if they couldn't go to Hajj during their life.

That is all for now, take good care everyone!

[thoolibul-ilm]

a bit frustrated that it's hard to find posts and blogs about mentally ill muslims and mental health from the islamic perspective because like it or not, we do exist and we deserve to have community for healing can never truly be accomplished in isolation.

also, i think people find it challenging to understand that even though your brain isn't kind to you, god is and we should do our best to extend that same kindness to ourselves and the world around us.

please interact with this post if you too would like to find other mentally ill muslims so reblog, comment and tag. looking forward to meeting people struggling similarly