Thank you so much for your audience.

In trying to understand a few things about Islam, I have a few questions. Please don’t answer them if you’re not currently a Muslim (or have never been a Muslim). I need only an insider’s view/experience and not an observer’s opinion.

If you choose a question to answer, please kindly quote the question with the answer you provide so that I can understand what answer relates to what question.

#grateful. Thanks

1) what is your belief system and religious world view?

i.e How do you believe life on earth came about? What do you think is the purpose? Belief in a creator or no Creator?

How is your belief system and its ideals practiced? as a group of believers who come together? How do you come together?

What are some central myths that you share?

Like Christians believe Jesus died and resurrected.
He turned water to wine or that he fed 5000 folks with 2 fish.

Stuff like that.

Is Coco now unsure of her faith ni?
#ReadingAndFollowing.

What kind of rituals do you practice?

Not rituals in the negative sense as portrayed by Nigerian movies . But acts of religious devotion that you’re physically encouraged to partake in.

For example, In the catholic church, some rituals practiced include holy communion as a sign of oneness with Jesus , or using of ash to smear the forehead on Ash Wednesday as a sign of penitence. Do you have any similar rituals in Islam?

Xixtie:
Is Coco now unsure of her faith ni?
#ReadingAndFollowing.

hi there. Are you a Muslim? If you are, your contribution will be appreciated. Thank you

What Rules and ethics about human behavior are you encouraged to follow?. Do you believe these rules are from the central supernatural being of your religion?

cococandy:
hi there. Are you a Muslim? If you are, your contribution will be appreciated. Thank you

I am unsure of my faith actually.
That's why I have got to follow this thread.
Nothing is clear anymore.
I hope some knowledgeable persons proffer good and reasonable answers to your questions.
I would be helped by that too.
Good luck.

What are some emotions that are associated with your religion?
dread of sin to avoid offending the divine?,

guilt if you sin?,

awe of the divine?

mystery, devotion, liberation, inner peace?

Do you believe in rebirth (reincarnation) on earth or a life beyond the earthly one?

What Material objects do you use in the expression of your faith?
What Physical elements are symbolic in your religion? Do you use statues, paintings, musical instruments, objects like incense, flowers, clothing, architecture or sacred places?

For example in orthodox churches, rosaries, paintings, statues and sanctuaries are some examples of physical religious expression.

Do you have similar symbolism?

Xixtie:

I am unsure of my faith actually.
That's why I have got to follow this thread.
Nothing is clear anymore.
I hope some knowledgeable persons proffer good and reasonable answers to your questions.
I would be helped by that too.
Good luck.

I hope you find your answers.

What do you consider sacred?

Are there certain acts of reverence you must perform?
certain people who are sacred?
Places you consider sacred?

Do you think there are any conflicts between your religious teachings and your personal beliefs?

Finally.

What challenges can you identify that your religious tradition faces in the modern world? Do you feel that your religious tradition is responding positively?

If yes or no, do you mind explaining?

Thanks

cc:lukgaf empiree

Devout Muslims Only is Only a Fraction of the Truth and not 100% Civilized.

:Is Coco now uncertainty of her belief koro? #ReadingAndFollowing. hi there. Are you a Muslim? If you are, your contributor will be appreciated. Thank you

cococandy:
1) what is your belief system and religious world view?

i.e How do you believe life on earth came about? What do you think is the purpose? Belief in a creator or no Creator?

I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge but I am not a scholar, I am still learning everyday too.

I believe God almighty created the universe without any help and without tiredness as against the belief of some.
The purpose of this life as a Muslim is to worship our creator because Allah said in the glorious Qur'an that he created mankind and jinkind solely for us to worship him.
I do believe there is a creator and I testify to his oneness and that he has no son, nor beginning nor end, no partner nor assistant, unique and omnipotent.

cococandy:
How is your belief system and its ideals practiced? as a group of believers who come together? How do you come together?

As a Muslim you must believe in the sahadat which means "there's no god worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger". A Muslim must believe in absolute oneness of God, his messengers including Jesus son of Mary, his books, paying Zakat (charity), observing Ramadan (fasting), going to hajj if able and obeying all the commandments of your lord..

We come together through salat (prayer) the muslim prayer is the same anywhere and the language of the Qur'an is what is being used by all which is Arabic and the rakat is universal too.

Secondly through Ramadan (fasting during the sacred month) this is something that every Muslims unit in doing. The same month and the same way.

Thirdly is the hajj. Going for pilgrimage to visit the house of Allah where Adam the first human and Ibrahim and their great grandchildren worship their lord. In the hajj the prayer is being led only one person while the millions of others pray behind him. He is referred to as the Imam.

cococandy:
What are some central myths that you share?

Like Christians believe Jesus died and resurrected.
He turned water to wine or that he fed 5000 folks with 2 fish.

Stuff like that.

We believe that God is one without a partner.
We believe in all his Prophet's from Adam, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jonah, Jesus, Muhammad and all of them. May peace and blessings be upon them all.

We believe in the miracles that God performs through each of them and their message which is monotheism.
But we don't believe in the crucifixion of Jesus, we believe that God honored him and take him to the heaven alive and he will return to earth during the end of time.

cococandy:
What kind of rituals do you practice?

Not rituals in the negative sense as portrayed by Nigerian movies . But acts of religious devotion that you’re physically encouraged to partake in.

For example, In the catholic church, some rituals practiced include holy communion as a sign of oneness with Jesus , or using of ash to smear the forehead on Ash Wednesday as a sign of penitence. Do you have any similar rituals in Islam?

Muslims have the five pillars of Islam.
Iman(faith)
Salat(prayer)
Zakat (charity)
Sawn(fasting)
Hajj(pilgrimage)

This are the five pillars of Islam which every Muslim must know and abide with. It is like the foundation of your beliefs and there are rules that guide each of them, some of them are compulsory as long as you are a Muslim and able to perform them while some are not especially if you can't or unable to perform them due to some reasons.

cococandy:
What are some emotions that are associated with your religion?
dread of sin to avoid offending the divine?,

guilt if you sin?,

awe of the divine?

mystery, devotion, liberation, inner peace?

Do you believe in rebirth (reincarnation) on earth or a life beyond the earthly one?

A Muslim should not be dread of sin because we are humans and Allah who created know us better than ourselves that is why he has given us the chance for repentance no matter how many times you err Allah will forgive you if repent sincerely, he is the most forgiving, the most merciful.

A believer must feel guilty when commit a sin because if you don't then you won't see any need for
repentance.

A believer must have taqwa (consciousness) and sekinah (tranquility). Fearing your lord as he must be feared both in public and in private. And sekinah is believe that whatever happens to me is from my Lord and to be patience in every situation I might find myself.

I don't believe in rebirth but I do believe in life after death, and I believe in the day of recompense. The day of accountability.

cococandy:
What Material objects do you use in the expression of your faith?
What Physical elements are symbolic in your religion? Do you use statues, paintings, musical instruments, objects like incense, flowers, clothing, architecture or sacred places?

For example in orthodox churches, rosaries, paintings, statues and sanctuaries are some examples of physical religious expression.

Do you have similar symbolism?

By Allah, there's none that i know of except the Qur'an and hadith which are the word of God and that of his Prophet.

cococandy:
What do you consider sacred?

Are there certain acts of reverence you must perform?
certain people who are sacred?
Places you consider sacred?

the act of reverence i know of are the pillars of Islam. Every other thing falls in between them, especially when they are being explained, the rules and regulations guiding them.

I don't think I understand the meaning of sacred people but the Prophet's are sent by God with his message to guide the human kind to the right path.

The holy kaaba is the first of the Muslims sacred place of worship, masjid-al-aqsa Jerusalem and the Prophet (saw) mosque in Medina.

cococandy:
Do you think there are any conflicts between your religious teachings and your personal beliefs?

For me No because I believe religion is superior to cultural beliefs. One end in this world but the other is of utmost importance in the next life. And Islam means total submission to the will of God almighty so you must be ready to submit to God's will at all times.

cococandy:
Finally.

What challenges can you identify that your religious tradition faces in the modern world? Do you feel that your religious tradition is responding positively?

If yes or no, do you mind explaining?

Thanks

The one i know of is Islamophobia. Don't know if that's correct.
But it should not be a surprise to the Muslims because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has told us that a time will come when Islam will become a strange religion and that is one of the signs of the end time.

I pray that you find the answer to your questions and I ask Allah to forgive me for my sins and rectify the affairs of the ummah at large. Aameen

Alennsar. Thank you so much for your responses. I appreciate that you took your time to answer. I find your responses very detailed. Thank you

cococandy:
Alennsar. Thank you so much for your responses. I appreciate that you took your time to answer. I find your responses very detailed. Thank you

You're most welcome sister.

Alennsar:

The one i know of is Islamophobia. Don't know if that's correct.
But it should not be a surprise to the Muslims because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has told us that a time will come when Islam will become a strange religion and that is one of the signs of the end time.

About islamophobia, I don’t know if that’s really a modern challenge. I did observe more islamophobia in certain parts of the world versus in others. And I think I understand what you mean when you call it a modern challenge.


The question was leaning more towards things like modern technology, modern laws and legislations, Advancement in immigration and emigration, expanded educational curricula etc.
Has any of that been a challenge to your religion?

For example, in the Catholic Church, modern legislations that now allow gender equality and same sex unions poses a problem to the tradition of the church because it has a patriarchal foundation. A woman still can’t be a priest in the Catholic Church while in some other Christian domains, women pastors are allowed.

Same sex unions are still a long way from being acceptable even though the new pope makes comments about acceptance and subtraction of judgement. The tradition is still so strong that even the pope’s words are not convincing that many people.

Do you find such modern advancements to be problematic in your islamic religion. Not to you personally but to the group as a whole.

Thank you

Sorry I got this this notification late but I believe my sister has done justice to this thread to the best of her ability. If there is any contribution from my part in the future I wont hesitate.

Thanks for this thread @cococandy