Divisions

[Anybody]

Bismillah Ir-Rehman Ir-Raheem

Dear Brother justwanttolearn:

May Allah guide you, me, and all of us to the Straight Path.

Brother, how wonderful the desire to learn is!

That is actually what brought me to Islam; I used to call myself an atheist, but Brother, I was guided to the most beautiful gift of my life, Islam. To be honest, I didn't study Islam with any kind of desire to suddenly become a believer, but I studied for my own interest, just as I studied other religions out of sheer curiosity and interest. And well, hmm, it was a long journey. It really completely changed my life, and Masha-Allah ("as God willed"), all of it is extremely good. I feel amazing and also amazingly blessed to be guided to Islam. If someone had told me then what I would be like now, I would have laughed in amusing condescension. I can truthfully say I was not looking to follow a religion, any religion. However, to believe it, you would have had to live my journey... Or live one of your own Insha-Allah ("God willing")!

So, yes, if you are looking to study Islam with a teacher, then I would say find a teacher who appreciates keen interest in a student for learning, regardless of whatever faith or lack thereof the student professes. Brother, if the teacher is sincere, then that person would teach you for the sake of Allah, knowing that whether you accept or not accept Islam is in the hands of Allah. If you find a teacher not willing to do that, then, if I am completely honest, that teacher is not the right one for you: You should run away from such teachers, as I would have. If a teacher fails to recognize the worth of teaching a student, then that teacher will most likely also not appreciate any questions and not have the patience necessary for teaching you or his other students also. It is not your loss, Brother, not ever your loss. Brother, a good teacher genuinely welcomes seekers of knowledge (from whatever path they have come).

Brother, had I been a teacher, I would volunteer to teach you, but I am neither a scholar nor a teacher. However, since I recognize the value of knowledge, as I myself have had to fight so hard to gain it, I humbly ask you, Brother, to please keep to your search for a teacher until you find one who knows the worth of imparting knowledge to a seeker. Brother, yes, you will Insha-Allah find one that suits you. And while I cannot teach you, I can share with you my own story in emotional terms in post #128 and detailed journey to Islam in post #20 (that includes the intellectual, spiritual, etc.) and share with you some videos and a book that I recommend new Muslims to also watch or read for educational or inspirational purposes:

Atheism to Islam: Journey of Dr. Lawrence Brown (Video.)

Divine Speech Prologue 1 (Video.)

Divine Speech Prologue 2 (Video.)

Reliance on Allah: The Cure For An Ummah in Crisis (Video.)

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (Book.)

May I give you glad tidings?

Abu Bakrah reported that, I heard the Prophet saying: "You should either be a scholar, or a student, or a listener, or a lover of ‘Ilm (knowledge) and scholars, and you should not be the fifth which will make you perish. Ata said, Misar said to me: You added a fifth point which we did not have. The fifth point is: To hate ‘Ilm and its people." (Tabrani.)

"He who leaves his home in search of knowledge walks in the path of God." (At-Tirmidhi.)

Prophet Muhammad also said in his speech: "Acquire knowledge, it enables its professor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. It is our friend in the desert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and an armor against enemies."

So, whether you realize this or not, Masha-Allah ("as God willed"), Brother, you are already following a recommendation of Prophet Muhammad .

Also, Brother, Islam is not anyone's property but an open invitation, like Sister Acacia said, in her last post. Brother, if you have any questions, concerns, doubts, please do not hesitate to ask because Masha-Allah ("as God willed"), a lot of reverts are on the Forum, and Insha-Allah ("God willing"), any one of them will be honored to assist you in whatever manner they could.

Thanks for coming to the Forum and making us a small part of your journey for knowledge.

If I have said anything that is good and true, it is from Allah, and anything other than that is my own mistake.

[Abdul1234]

Hi all,

I'm not really a "new Muslim", just interested in learning a few things, hope it's ok to post here anyway.

My question is regarding how people end up "deciding" to be Sunni, Shiite, Sufi, etc. One of the first things I noticed when I started teaching myself about Islam is how heavily divided it seems to be. The hatred between some Muslim sects (I don't know if "sect" is the right word, sorry if it's wrong) seems to be just as strong as the traditional hatred between Muslims and Jews.

So naturally, my next step was to try and learn what the differences are, how relevant they are in day to day life, and to be honest I got completely lost. There was simply too much information, much of it clearly biased and laced with hatred (everyone seems so sure that their way is right), and I was left feeling utterly confused.

Given that this is a Sunni forum, I'm assuming that the vast majority of people here are Sunni. So how did that happen? Did you just follow your parents? Or is there something about the system of beliefs or social practices that convinced you that this is the "correct" interpretation of Islam? If so, what was it?

Sorry in advance if these are dumb questions, but any ideas would be much appreciated.

Prophet Muhammad (saws) said stay with the majority group - this is the group of the Sunnah and the mainstream. It is called Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat (Sunni Islam) is real Islam and has always been the religion of the vast majority of the Muslims,

Sufism is a spiritual science not a group, most Sunnis adhere to sufism but many do not and some dislike it.

Also many people who call themselves Sufis are not either Sunnis or even Muslims.

Groups outside of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat are all sects - they range from groups like the Zaydis who are almost Sunni to the Ismailis who (if they hold Ismaili doctrines) are not even Muslims.

Most people on here come from Muslim families but there are also many people on here who were not and came to Islam after a conscious choice (every one of them has a unique story).

[mh16388]

Prophet Muhammad (saws) said stay with the majority group - this is the group of the Sunnah and the mainstream. It is called Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat (Sunni Islam) is real Islam and has always been the religion of the vast majority of the Muslims,

Sufism is a spiritual science not a group, most Sunnis adhere to sufism but many do not and some dislike it.

Also many people who call themselves Sufis are not either Sunnis or even Muslims.

Groups outside of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat are all sects - they range from groups like the Zaydis who are almost Sunni to the Ismailis who (if they hold Ismaili doctrines) are not even Muslims.

Most people on here come from Muslim families but there are also many people on here who were not and came to Islam after a conscious choice (every one of them has a unique story).

you are back! : D

[justwanttolearn]

Could you please let us know where you are based so we can direct you to an appropriate venue.
Allahualam

Thanks to you and everyone else who has replied with advice.

I'm originally from England, but I left 9 years ago as an angry 17 year old, and have lived in Cambodia ever since. The Muslims here are an ethnic minority, known as the Cham. The form of Islam they practice doesn't seem to have anything to do with mainstream Muslims, and they don't seem like useful people to learn about Islam from.

I guess for now I'll stick to online research, starting with the helpful links people have provided here, and see how things develop.

Thanks once again to everyone for your help, it's much appreciated.

edit:

So, yes, if you are looking to study Islam with a teacher, then I would say find a teacher who appreciates keen interest in a student for learning, regardless of whatever faith or lack thereof the student professes. Brother, if the teacher is*sincere, then that person would teach you for the sake of Allah,*knowing*that whether you accept or not accept Islam is in the hands of Allah. If you find a teacher not willing to do that, then, if I am completely honest, that teacher is*not*the right one for you: You should*run away*from such teachers, as I would have. If a teacher fails to recognize the worth of teaching a student, then that teacher will most likely also not appreciate any questions and not have the patience necessary for teaching you or his other students also. It is not your loss, Brother,*not ever*your loss. Brother, a good teacher genuinely welcomes seekers of knowledge (from whatever path they have come).Brother, had I been a teacher, I would volunteer to teach you, but I am neither a scholar nor a teacher. However, since I recognize the value of knowledge, as I myself have had to fight so hard to gain it, I humbly ask you, Brother, to please keep to your search for a teacher until you find one who knows the worth of imparting knowledge to a seeker. Brother, yes, you will*Insha-Allah*find one that suits you.

I just re read this and realized how insightful it is. Thanks for taking the time to share such valuable advice.