Disclamer: I don’t wish to offend any practitioners or any religion. I don’t speak English; I’m using a translator. If some of my comments seem harsh or offensive, it’s really down to the translator – and that’s not just an excuse. Thank you for your understanding.
Hello, here is my concern. I was born into a Muslim family; the members of this family are either Muslim or atheist. Some are Muslim but are not practising (they do not pray). My mother is one of them. I was not raised as a Muslim and I respect that because, for me, one must choose one’s own path and not have it imposed upon them.
I am now hesitating to practise this religion. But I have a concern: apart from my health issues, which prevent me from performing ablutions with water (I think this problem can be easily overcome) and from being regular and punctual in my practice, I cannot speak Arabic. I have never learnt it. My parents speak it, but we never spoke the language at home. Yet this poses a problem for practising the religion. I have learnt a few surahs by heart, but, despite reciting them every day without actually performing a proper prayer, not only do I not know what I am saying, but I am gradually forgetting them. Some members of my family tell me that all I need to do is learn Arabic, but we’re talking about learning a difficult language that won’t be of any use to me in everyday life. It would be easier to learn the Arabic used in the Quran only.
But even then, the practice is strict and poses a problem for me. Between wearing the hijab, eating exclusively halal in a city where halal meat is hard to come by, and Ramadan (which I’ve done before but which traumatised me), the ban on listening to music, having to cover up as much as possible to avoid showing any curves, being forced to marry a Muslim, and so on. I have no desire to become a nun; I just want to get closer to God...
I get the impression that the Qur’an only talks about punishment if you don’t do this or that
But at the same time, aren’t we bound to God through the religion we were born into? Even though it’s complicated in my family, as I’m surrounded by atheists or non-practising believers (plus my father was born into a Muslim family, became interested in Christianity, and then, due to his health problems, was no longer able to think about much of anything)
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