First Things First...

[NoNameAtAll]

asalaam alaykum all,

I have a (bad) habit of trying to do everything at once and then finding myself overwhelmed with all of it. As a new muslim what would everyone recommend to be a good list of "first things first" in other words what is most important and cannot be left undone?

I have found that I love to study tazkiyah and have seen much surrounding the topic of "adorning knowledge with action" which basically means learning the most important things and then not even attempting to learn anything else until you have applied these things to your life. A perfect example of this is trying to debate with those that would attack Islam out of hatred or ignorance without having one's own Islamic walk in order. I found this touching and wondered what items others more experienced than myself considered "the most important things"?

[smile]

Assalaamu alaikum this is only my list (my top 10) and it might not suit everyone, everyone has their own pace to go at.


1) Basic understanding of Tawhid (the oneness of God) and the nature of God

2) Learn to make wudu and pray salat and put it into practice 5 times a day, every day! Start with the fard (compulsory) and build in the sunnah (recommended) slowly as you are able.

3) Elementary arabic - learn to read the quran - it is hard at first but gets easier - knowledge of the meaning of words can come later - you have to learn to recognise the letters and get your mouth around the sounds first.

4) Get into the habit of reading the Quran in your own language and in arabic regularly - ideally every day but at least develop a routine.

5) Put what you learn into practice. If you are studying the finer points of hanafi fiqh but not practising at being a good person by smiling at people, being honest and helping others you have got it wrong in my book (read surah 107 Al Ma'un - it is not hard to learn )

6) Read and understand the basics of belief (to belief in 1) Allah, 2) the angels of Allah, 3) the books of Allah, 4) the messangers of Allah, 5) the day of judgement 6) Destiny 7) Life after death)

7) Read 2 short books telling the life story of Mohammad. 1 by a muslim author, 1 by a non-muslim author. This will help you understand that there is only one book we can trust completely ( all people are biased no matter how hard they try) and that Mohammad (s.a.w) although amazing alhamdolillah was a man the same as the other prophets and nothing and noone compares to God.

8) Read the stories of some of the other prophets (particulary if you were Christian or Jewish as you will notice important similarities and differences in the stories)

9) Read the stories of the Prophet's wives - men and women are equally important in the eyes of Allah but with different responsibilities and marriage is "half of your religion".

10) Fast for a complete ramadan and celebrate Eid in your heart and at the mosque.



Most people find that after a few years when you settle into your new self it becomes hard again to learn new surahs and to study as we once did. Allah makes it easy for us at first but we too are tested. I aim to just keep up with the above and anything else to me is a bonus becasue I know that when I get too deep into study I loose sight of the basics and of what brought me to Islam in the first place - Allah.

[IlyasLahoz]

From Sunnipath.com

Question:
I converted two years ago. What is more important for me to learn: proper recitation of the Qur’an, or how to pray correctly?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
May Peace and Blessings be upon our Master - the Beloved Messenger of Allah,
his folk, companions, and followers.

Wa alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

May Allah bless you all in your journey to Him, and may He Most High guide us all to the ways most pleasing to Him Mighty and Majestic. Amin.

Sidi Masud Khan’s excellent website: http://www.masud.co.uk/ and the courses and services offered at http://www.sunnipath.com/ are indispensable resources for those seeking knowledge in our times. In your case, I would specifically recommend the course on The Absolute Essentials of Islam (alongside the book of the same title by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani) and the Book of Knowledge course offered by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.

What follows is a compilation of answers and articles on the way of traditional Islam, Sunni belief, madhhabs and the nature of legal rulings, and Islamic spirituality (Sufism).

Please feel welcome to email us with any other questions you might have.

(I couldn't find the original SUnnipath link, but I have all the links on this blog entry):
http://andalus.wordpress.com/2005/07...t-2-the-links/

[Kareem]

wa alaykum salaam, i always tell people to study the Tahawiyya. a very basic (but complete) text of our creed on wich pretty much everyone agrees. http://zamzamacademy.com/files/docs/...tahawiyyah.pdf

here is a series of audio lessons explaining the text in detail. http://zamzamacademy.com/audio.php?option=5

[hope_n_fear]

and celebrate Eid in your heart and at the mosque.

That was good, mashaAllah.