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My Story Сре 11 Јан 2012, 2:26 am
Islam Only Way
Сестра
Born and raised in New York City to Dominican parents who are catholic by mouth and not actions. In other words my parents say they are catholic but hardly ever went to church. The only catholic religious right that was given to me as a child by my parent was baptism. I did my 1st communion and conformation on my own. As a child I always had an innate awareness of God, later on in life found out this is called the “Fitrah”. Fitrah is something that every soul is born with; it is the natural predisposition in which one is inclined towards submission to Allah.
While going to catholic religious instructions I always wondered how it was possible that God could be 1/3 human 1/3 spirit and last but not least 1/3 God. I had many questions that would not or should I say could not be answered. For example: Why are we created? How could God have a son and more so how can his son also be him? Why should I have to suffer pain for something someone else did at the beginning of time? Why is it that there are so many different bibles? It was all very confusing. I could not except the answers that I was always giving- “this is what my parents taught me” or “ that is just the way it is, we are not to question the bible”.
At the age of 20 and after my second child I decided that I needed to search for the answers to my questions. And I figured if it was not within Catholicism then it had to be in Christianity, or maybe Jehovah witnesses new and then I tried Buddhism. All the searching and still no answer. In the year 2000 I began to work at Lincoln hospital. Two month into my job I notice the Muslim doctors ways of treating others so differently. Of course I also new of what the media told us. But I was extremely interested in this religion called Islam.
I began to ask questions, but at first the questions where to challenge Islam and not embracing it. I asked: Why are we created? Answer: To worship your creator. I asked: Does my creator have a son and is this son also the creator? Answer: No your creator has no human attributes, he is not created, and there is non co-equal or comparable unto him. I asked why do I have to pay for someone else’s sins? Answer: In Islam each one will be held accountable for whatever good or what ever bad they have done. No one carries the burden of anyone ells. It was amazing, for every question there was a clear answer. And what was best was a book to back up the answer, the Qur’an.
All the burning questions I had where answered. The only thing left was the role of the woman. I asked questions that are on every non Muslims mind: the head scarf, the entire covering, and of course the 4 wives. Because of the way women are portrayed in the media, (as being subservient to her husband) I needed to know where I would stand if in fact I wanted to become a Muslim. Come to find out that despite all that the media said- in Islam women are held in high standards. To cover is not to be oppressed but to be liberated. A Muslimah (female Muslim) no longer needs to compete or keep up with societies views of women. Because she is covered she does not have to prostitute herself in order to be heard. Society has no choice when it comes to her, but to judge her for what she says and thinks and not for how she looks. A Muslimah has god given rights that non-Muslim women can only talk about, especially Spanish non-Muslims. Growing up I remember hearing my moms female friends say how they would love to stay at home and have a man pay all their bills and if they wanted to work, be able to keep their money. Well that is a god given right Muslimah have. The 4 wives was the hardest for me to except. While doing research I came to find out that there are different reasons and also standards for a man to have more than one wife. As women have god given rights so do men. It is not up to me to take from my husband what Allah had given him.
April of 2001 I covered my hair, June 2001 I covered my legs and arms and July 19 of the same year I took my Shahadah. The Shahadah is the testimony of the Muslim faith. You testify that you bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
Where does my Dominican culture and family fit in all this? Well I still have some of that in me. I eat with the same seasonings, I speak Spanish, and I do the same things I did before coming into Islam so long as it does not fall against Islam. My family is ok with me becoming Muslim. They understand and respect that I don’t celebrate certain holidays and that I don’t eat pork any more. At 1st they would question Islam- but when you really look into it there is no flaw in this religion. I pray a minimum of 5 times a day; I give charity; I fast during the month Ramadan, everything I do is for the sake of Allah. There for my family could not fight me, they could not find anything to fight me for.
I now stand as a Muslimah 1st then Dominican 2nd. I don’t miss the clubbing, the hanging out, and the soul searching. I am here, and what is best is I now know why I am here. When you think about it is all very clear in fact crystal clear. Why not worship the one who created me. Once I understood that everything else would fall into place.
islamway.sisters.com
While going to catholic religious instructions I always wondered how it was possible that God could be 1/3 human 1/3 spirit and last but not least 1/3 God. I had many questions that would not or should I say could not be answered. For example: Why are we created? How could God have a son and more so how can his son also be him? Why should I have to suffer pain for something someone else did at the beginning of time? Why is it that there are so many different bibles? It was all very confusing. I could not except the answers that I was always giving- “this is what my parents taught me” or “ that is just the way it is, we are not to question the bible”.
At the age of 20 and after my second child I decided that I needed to search for the answers to my questions. And I figured if it was not within Catholicism then it had to be in Christianity, or maybe Jehovah witnesses new and then I tried Buddhism. All the searching and still no answer. In the year 2000 I began to work at Lincoln hospital. Two month into my job I notice the Muslim doctors ways of treating others so differently. Of course I also new of what the media told us. But I was extremely interested in this religion called Islam.
I began to ask questions, but at first the questions where to challenge Islam and not embracing it. I asked: Why are we created? Answer: To worship your creator. I asked: Does my creator have a son and is this son also the creator? Answer: No your creator has no human attributes, he is not created, and there is non co-equal or comparable unto him. I asked why do I have to pay for someone else’s sins? Answer: In Islam each one will be held accountable for whatever good or what ever bad they have done. No one carries the burden of anyone ells. It was amazing, for every question there was a clear answer. And what was best was a book to back up the answer, the Qur’an.
All the burning questions I had where answered. The only thing left was the role of the woman. I asked questions that are on every non Muslims mind: the head scarf, the entire covering, and of course the 4 wives. Because of the way women are portrayed in the media, (as being subservient to her husband) I needed to know where I would stand if in fact I wanted to become a Muslim. Come to find out that despite all that the media said- in Islam women are held in high standards. To cover is not to be oppressed but to be liberated. A Muslimah (female Muslim) no longer needs to compete or keep up with societies views of women. Because she is covered she does not have to prostitute herself in order to be heard. Society has no choice when it comes to her, but to judge her for what she says and thinks and not for how she looks. A Muslimah has god given rights that non-Muslim women can only talk about, especially Spanish non-Muslims. Growing up I remember hearing my moms female friends say how they would love to stay at home and have a man pay all their bills and if they wanted to work, be able to keep their money. Well that is a god given right Muslimah have. The 4 wives was the hardest for me to except. While doing research I came to find out that there are different reasons and also standards for a man to have more than one wife. As women have god given rights so do men. It is not up to me to take from my husband what Allah had given him.
April of 2001 I covered my hair, June 2001 I covered my legs and arms and July 19 of the same year I took my Shahadah. The Shahadah is the testimony of the Muslim faith. You testify that you bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
Where does my Dominican culture and family fit in all this? Well I still have some of that in me. I eat with the same seasonings, I speak Spanish, and I do the same things I did before coming into Islam so long as it does not fall against Islam. My family is ok with me becoming Muslim. They understand and respect that I don’t celebrate certain holidays and that I don’t eat pork any more. At 1st they would question Islam- but when you really look into it there is no flaw in this religion. I pray a minimum of 5 times a day; I give charity; I fast during the month Ramadan, everything I do is for the sake of Allah. There for my family could not fight me, they could not find anything to fight me for.
I now stand as a Muslimah 1st then Dominican 2nd. I don’t miss the clubbing, the hanging out, and the soul searching. I am here, and what is best is I now know why I am here. When you think about it is all very clear in fact crystal clear. Why not worship the one who created me. Once I understood that everything else would fall into place.
islamway.sisters.com