I'm a Muslim BUT I'm having SERIOUS DOUBTS. I don't know if I want to be a Muslim?

Question

There are many things I like about Islam,,,,,,,but there are many I don't.


I don't like how there are rules for everything. And if I don't follow I'm a bad Muslim, From the way I sleep (I'm only to sleep on my right side), the way I eat (on the floor), how I clean myself, the music I listen to (string instruments are banned) every little aspect of life is governed..

Yet at the same time slavery is allowed. Why is it that I can't dye my hair black but I'm allowed to keep slaves. It don't make sense.

Why the little things are so strict but on big issues that really matter, all is allowed?

I really don't think I can follow sunnah and hadith anymore, because it is like everything is banned, and we must copy some way of eating just cos someone 1000 yrs ago did so.

Please help. I still want to be Muslim, but I'm having serious doubts.

Tash @Why am I trolling? Are Muslims not allowed to have doubts and frustrations too.

Isn't this what yahoo answers is for, asking questions. And my last question was serious,

@pastorJohn, Of course anyone can answer :), (it was just the other question that was theological only) Oh, and whilst I have doubts I'm not interested in converting, thanks

Mary, and Calmness, thank you for your answers. Much appreciated.

@Al Qiyamah, That is my PROBLEM with Islam, attitudes like YOURS if I see something wrong, I'm not allowed to question, I just have to go, yes, yes , yes, all is OK when it is not! Why do have have to go anon on an internet forum when I have questions.. just because someone says so. And most the time these are made up rules, and not even real Islam

Al Qiyamah I'm sorry for getting angry at you too. It is just that these issues have been building on me for so long. I need to be able to speek freely. I agree with all the tenants of Islam. It is just little things here and there, and more the way Islam has been taught to me. I want somewhere where I can question these without worry.

Omer, I know these are small doubts
, and I know that slavery doesn't happen in the modern world, and that it is a different concept...
But Islam is for all time, and the perfect religion, so when I have these small doubts here, and there, suddenly I start to question everything, and I need to get answers.

What is internet forums for, but to get answers, from people wiser than yourselfs

Sen B, if you knew more about Islam, you would know that to call another Muslim an unbeliever is a big sin.

You would also know that when when a another Muslim reaches out and asks for help because their dean, is weak, you should help them.

It is Muslims like you that set a bad example for all Muslim. May Allah forgive you.

Answer 1

Believe me, i've been there. I tried to go by all the rules, but it was so maddening. So i started eating any kind of meat (except pork of course) from regular non-"halaal" sources. i love violin music, so i listen to that a lot. i sleep on whatever side is comfortable for me, or my back or my stomach (it is not obligatory, but recommended to sleep on right side anyways). i dye my hair too (as far as i know there is no ruling against this). i eat at a table too (i never heard anything about eating on the floor...)

seriously, just read the qur'an, do your five daily salat, and you'll be fine. i tried going by hadiths, but there are so many of them (and some of them are not authentic anyways). and some hadith are to be taken in context.

oh and about slavery...i think it is allowed but you must treat your slaves fairly. there are many different perceptions of slavery in different cultures too. not everyone whipped and beat their slaves like what has happened with the blacks in america. in many cultures, a slave actually becomes a part of the family. and remember that in the eyes of God, there is no difference between a slave and a rich man, because they are all equal. also remember that Bilal was a slave who was set free from his cruel master by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who sent Abu Bakr to "buy" him and set him free. but we don't keep slaves anymore these days, so you don't have to worry so much about that.

Answer 2

Every religion has its rules and doctrines. If you don't follow the islamic rules then it is true you are not a good Muslim but it does not also mean you are a bad person.

The things you mentioned about the way to sleep, eat, and the music you can listen to are just minor details that would not affect your being a good or bad Muslim. These have nothing to do with Islam but rather some Muslims wish to follow the ways of the Prophet, should we deny them this method of practicing their Islam then? Whether you follow these rules or not, there is no way these acts can nullify your faith!!!!

Slavery is allowed??? I never read that Islam allows slavery!!! The fact is Islam is the only religion that made abolishment of slavery as part of its religious doctrine. You should get your islamic education from your Muslim sisters and brothers and not from the anti-islam bashers!!!!

IM me if you want so that we can talk about your faith.

Answer 3

There are some extremely good answers written here.

I would like to add... It's OK to question sometimes if you think that questioning can strengthen your faith. And if you're not comfortable with the sunnah then you don't have to follow it immediately. These are intricacies that needs to be followed after a certain level of faith has been achieved.

First and Foremost, what I advise is reading the Quran and trying to understand what God is telling you. Read the translation if you're not Arabic speaking... Pray Salah five times daily, give charity if you're able, do good deeds, and generally be a good person. And once you've achieved this then you can decide which of the sunnahs you want to follow.....

Following Islam can be difficult I must admit... esp. in a time like this.... But Allah looks at your willingness to do the best YOU can do in your situation and environment.

Good luck and God Bless!

Answer 4

First of all..what country do you live in? or should I ask what planet are you from? Just because people ate sitting on the floor 1000+ years ago doesn't mean you have to as well..it's people like you and other who have responded so conservatively to this that give Islam a bad name. You guys need to step out of your shell and live your life like an intelligent, muslim of the 21st century. You're not in the medieval times. Islam is a beautiful and the simplest religion to understand.

Either you're a clone or you're making Islam too hard for yourself. I'm a muslim and I dont eat on the floor or sleep on my right side..where the hell did u hear that??? from your priest??? Seriously , people like you need to use your brain power (if you have any) and follow the quran and the sunnah to the best you can. Does it make me a bad muslim coz I dont cover my head..some people might think so but i dont care what people think..Even the Quran does NOT enforce hijab on the women..it asks both men and women to dress modestly and modesty does NOT mean wearing a hijab.

There is absolutely no problem in questioning the religion but ask people who will give you an educated answer as opposed to the answers you've gotten on yahoo answers from conservatives who are out to give Islam a bad name

Answer 5

Hello sara,
I understand ur concern...Please realize that every religion has their own plus and minuses..there is nothing wrong with that. There is no perfect religion as such...for that matter anything in the world.

I am not a muslim but I feel u should try to understand the beauty of Islam and take all the plus points and ignore the minus points. Islam is a very nice religion...the customs as u say may be outmoded but try to go deeper and find out for urself how u can make them part of ur life even though u may find it too "old-fashioned".

If u have read about Mahatma Gandhi( else search google )...he says that religious customs have to be respected and understood in the correct light...and if u r NOT CONVINCED for urself that these customs suit ur nature...discard them...I am sure Islam gives that much freedom to a person

Answer 6

i know how it is, seriously. but i think you're mistaking some culture with religion. eating on the floor is culture. slavery is NOT allowed...it says in the quran various times that if someone did something wrong "fa tahreer rakabah" wich is freeing a slave, so there won't be slavery anymore. Abu bakr went around buying slaves and freeing them, and Bilal and many other slaves became muslim because they liked the just of islam.

i just think you should research islam for what it really is, rather than seeing it like a bunch of rules. these are rules to help guide you to something that is beautiful.

i mean, even if i wasn't muslim, i'd still follow islam because it has the perfect psychology to make you the happiest person. it teaches you how to live properly with high success. it's not really a religion....it's more of a way of life.

Answer 7

If you believe the five pillars and pray, then you are a Muslim. Pray that Allah helps you resolve your issues. And remember that so much of what people teach you is culture and NOT Islam. It's not that you can pick and choose what to follow, but you need to pray for clarity so that you will know Islam.

Your frustrations are normal for a practitioner of any faith, for everyone has their interpretation and strong belief that their way is the right way. Think of the Christians who will argue that you can't listen to music, or you shouldn't put up a Christmas tree, or you shouldn't celebrate birthdays. Are these things pulling other Christians away from God? Probably not. The same goes for us Muslims. If you believe in the five pillars, then actively practice your prayers and ask Allah to give you peace and clarification. It will come.

Fee Aman Allah.

Answer 8

No offense, but I am not even sure if you are truly a Muslim based on what you said. You said slavery was allowed, but then didn't provide any information and just let these people judge the religion. Slavery in Islam is actually the most moral, contrary to popular belief. Hardly any Muslims even have slaves. Just look at the pre-Civil War times. SO many Christians owned slaves because the Bible did not forbid it. They treated their slaves like dirt and hardly even considered them to be human. Also, these slaves were obtained by harsh, cruel, and unreasonable means.

On the other hand, slaves to Muslims were (are) to be respected, not told to do anything that would exceed their physical capacity, treated kindly, etc. and should only be taken if these specifications will be met. Actually, today's definition of "slave" does not quite fit the slaves according to Islam. Also, these slaves were obtained lawfully as prisoners of war or debtors, not forcefully and cruelly.


Sunnah is OPTIONAL. You don't have to eat on the floor. I hardly ever do, even though I wish I would do so. Sunnah is only meant for if you are capable of doing it and choose to do it. By all means if you do not want to do it, then don't! If you are however doing Sunnah just for the sake of being a good Muslim, your struggle is your Jihad. But if you really don't want to do it, then please don't, no one is forcing you and it is not compulsory.

What is so hard about cleaning yourself? Just go from right to left. Not that difficult...

Also, you are having serious doubts. Are you considering becoming an Atheist, converting to another religion or what? Because I am sure that deep down inside you will always believe in Allah (God) no matter what decision you make.

By the way, the vast majority of Muslims don't have slaves. Having slaves is made difficult in Islam, and there are many strict guidelines that must be followed. And at least slaves are acknowledged as humans in Islam and treated accordingly, unlike the Christians during the Civil War era.


Sister, I am sorry if some of this sounded offensive or mean, but I am just trying to get you back on track. You even have some wrong ideas of Islam--not opinions, I am talking about facts. Many of your doubts are flawed and are really miniscual things that you really should not worry about with all due respect. I really hope I helped you Inshallah and you will not stray from the correct path. May Allah guide you sister, good luck!

Answer 9

I do encourage you to ask questions you need answers for them. This is much better than just following something you are not sure 100% about.
I am Muslim and I used to have the same questions about these so called "small doubts". I don't find then small at all. I am serious about every thing in my life and I need an answer for all things came to my mind.
It was good you mentioned that Hadiths and Sunna books those have these "banned" things. And this is very important to be aware of. All things those Islam is bashed for are because of things written in Hadiths books. It is simply because these books have many corrupted hadiths and fabricated stories.
Yes there are many good things in these books that we can follow (if we want, as they are not a must to do) but it is just the same with the Bible of Christians that has good things and teachings but it has many corupted things as it considered Jesus as God.
We have the complete book which is Quran that we must not contradict it in our way of life.
I believe you would find the following website interesting:
http://www.submission.org/

I believe you will find answers of your questions in this website.

Peace.

Answer 10

VERY GOOD QUESTION

My dear, in Islam you are allowed to question and understand the LOGIC behind the Islamic Rulings.

Firstly, some of the activities like "way I sleep (I'm only to sleep on my right side), the way I eat (on the floor)" are SUNNAH and Sunnah is NOT Compulsory YET it is RECOMMENDED.

REMEMBER!!! Islam is a WAY OF LIFE... It is NOT jsut to fold your hands in and pray and then your life is YOURS...

Almighty GOD being the CREATOR has the RIGHT to demand 100% OBEDIENCE from HIS CREATION.

Take for example your Personal Computer. If you say, "Hey this is my PC, i will do whatever i want with it" and you mis-handle it 'YOUR WAY', Drop it, put water on it etc

NO PC will work... Therefore, you HAVE to ADHERE to the GUIDELINES OF THE MANUFACTURER viz. THE INSTRUCTION MAUAL.

Almighty GOD has sent HIS GUIDELINES as the Quran which is a COMPLETE CODE of LIfe...
Furthermore, HE SENT DOWN THE ENGINEER PROPHET MUHAMMED (PBUH) who showed how to IMPLEMENT it...

So when you sleep on your right side, you dont put much pressure on your heart... There! the Sunnah protects your heart...

When you eat with your fingers, you get better digestion. there! the Sunnah improves your digestion...

If you see, even the Prophet has shown us How to attend our nature's call...

DO YOU KNOW THAT THE PROPHETIC TRADITION (SUNANH) OF pissing (beign seated) PROTECTS YOUR KIDNEYS???

Therefore, you are blessed to be a Muslim. YOU HAVE TO BE A MUSLIM - SUBMIT YOUR WILL TO GOD.

Forget what the World says...

Just have the 'Taqwa'

Taqwa - GOD Consiousness is the Key...

If we can refrain from any sin by the thought that Almighty GOD is All-Knowing and All-Seeing, then this should be enough to stop and NOT commit it.

Yet we are humans and will fall to the trap and false promises of the Satan and our 'Nafs' - (Desires, self etc)...

Therefore its a continuous process wherein we have NOT to sin, BUT if we happen to sin, we REPENT as soon as possible...

Answer 11

Im a muslim and all those things you stated arent A MUST you know what i mean i dont eat on the floor,i guess i sleep on any side i want.
Those are things Muhammad(PBUH)did its called SUNNAH youll get more ajar(more good deeds).

Were you born muslim or converted to islam?

Also girl take it easy day by day and be happy to be a muslim.

Just think for 1 sec Allah chose YOU to be muslim YOU he could of choosen any body else but he chose YOU.

That makes me So happy.
All im sayin gurl were on this earth to be tested.ALL if this will end soon dont take this for granted.
If you follow Allah and what he said you have a place in heaven.

I hope i answered your question I HOPE YOU STAY A MUSLIM.