Taking shahada

pinkheels88

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm preparing to take my shahada very soon. I'm very excited about this, but I'm not sure when and where I should take this step. All I know is, I'm ready. I'm in Ireland at the moment and will be back in Abu Dhabi the first week of September. My faith has strengthened in the past few months as I'm reading qu'ran daily.
I know shahada is a very personal commitment between a person and God but I think it would be nice to take my shahada while in a mosque too. Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is SO beautiful. I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life, undoubtedly I will anyway. Can anybody share their experience of their shahada and any advice they might have?

Also, I'm hearing conflicting things about taking shahada during Ramadan. I feel like if I take shahada now, I should begin fasting immediately. Some of my muslim friends are saying otherwise.

Any good advice from Muslim brothers and sisters is much appreciated.

Jaafa

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm preparing to take my shahada very soon. I'm very excited about this, but I'm not sure when and where I should take this step. All I know is, I'm ready. I'm in Ireland at the moment and will be back in Abu Dhabi the first week of September. My faith has strengthened in the past few months as I'm reading qu'ran daily.
I know shahada is a very personal commitment between a person and God but I think it would be nice to take my shahada while in a mosque too. Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is SO beautiful. I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life, undoubtedly I will anyway. Can anybody share their experience of their shahada and any advice they might have?

Also, I'm hearing conflicting things about taking shahada during Ramadan. I feel like if I take shahada now, I should begin fasting immediately. Some of my muslim friends are saying otherwise.

Any good advice from Muslim brothers and sisters is much appreciated.

You may take it in any place you wish and at any time. I think it would be best to take in during Ramadan as I think it will be more memorable for you that. However if like you say you want to wait until you go to Abu Dhabi then that's fine too.

If you do take it during Ramadan then it would be best to start fasting as soon as you feel ready.

masadjie

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Assalamu alaikum,
...
Also, I'm hearing conflicting things about taking shahada during Ramadan. I feel like if I take shahada now, I should begin fasting immediately. Some of my muslim friends are saying otherwise.

I agree with Jaafa, it would be best to take syahada during Ramadhan as it will be more memorable and Ramadhan is best month within a year with many advantages for Muslim. I think it is not wise to postpone your good intention to take syahada.

And I am sure if you have decided to take shahada then fasting is not a big problem. Maybe it is difficult in the first few days but after that it will be fine. On the other hand, if one is not able to fast during ramadhan for a good reason then he/she can break from fasting and then repay the fasting in other day.

Good luck, I know you can do that :-)

dead one

Peace be upon you for choosing the path of peace

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Assalamu alaikum,
Any good advice from Muslim brothers and sisters is much appreciated.

The tongue of Moses (pubh) was hebrew... greeting in hebrew is "sholom aleikhem" this means as what you written below

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Assalamu alaikum,

Traditional good Jews take the greeting, sholom aleikhem, peace be upon you! And its proper reaction is, alaikum sholom, upon you be peace, This Hebrew reaction is agreed by the Arabic reaction, “wa alaykum as-salaam (و عليكم السلام)

Aramaic,Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic accord to the Semitic family of languages since they were derived from the same mother language. So the base s_l_m, e.g, means “peace” in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and other Semitic languages.Thus Hebrew and Aramaic are sister language...

Jesus taught the same response to his disciples.

"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.'
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010:5&version=NIV

Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24%3A36-49&version=NIV
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2020:19&version=NIV

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2020:26&version=NIV

The language Jesus spoke was Aramaic, which is only a accent of the Hebrew language. So, if you translate the English expression, “peace be unto you in Aramaic is gives the same meaning “shalom aleichem”.
Right!!!!:)

“Islam” is derived from the same base as the Arabic word “salaam”, meaning peace. “Islam” means the peace one may acquire by submitting to the will of Allah.

living in peaceful submitting will to God — is at the first stage, our submission to the laws of nature; and we are “Muslims” at this stage, willingly or unwillingly. God says
http://quran.com/13/15
and there is second a stage
http://quran.com/3/84

pinkheels88

Ok thanks deadone, I was just spelling out phonetically the nice greeting I hear all the time over in Abu Dhabi

irishconvert

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm preparing to take my shahada very soon. I'm very excited about this, but I'm not sure when and where I should take this step. All I know is, I'm ready. I'm in Ireland at the moment and will be back in Abu Dhabi the first week of September. My faith has strengthened in the past few months as I'm reading qu'ran daily.
I know shahada is a very personal commitment between a person and God but I think it would be nice to take my shahada while in a mosque too. Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is SO beautiful. I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life, undoubtedly I will anyway. Can anybody share their experience of their shahada and any advice they might have?

Also, I'm hearing conflicting things about taking shahada during Ramadan. I feel like if I take shahada now, I should begin fasting immediately. Some of my muslim friends are saying otherwise.

Any good advice from Muslim brothers and sisters is much appreciated.

Salaam,

Delighted to hear you feel you are ready to take Shahada. I don't think you should delay it for one moment, take Shahada immediately. We don't know how long we will be on this earth and if you are ready to embrace Islam then you should not delay for any superficial reason.

pinkheels88

Took my shahada last night
Thank you everybody for your advice.

Freiheit

Well done,I'm happy for you!:),will your lifestyle change much as a result?.

pinkheels88

Freiheit wrote: »

Well done,I'm happy for you!:),will your lifestyle change much as a result?.

Thanks Well I've been making changes gradually over the last few months, including giving up alcohol, so there won't be a huge amount of change, except as soon as I learn how, more regular prayer and increased study of Islam. I'm excited!

Freiheit

Good,have you had a lot of contact with native's there? do you expect to remain in Abu Dhabi?. Have an Abu Dhabi channel on my satelite tv system,but as it's in their own tongue,I can't understand it:(..but the odd time watch anyway!:)

pinkheels88

Freiheit wrote: »

Good,have you had a lot of contact with native's there? do you expect to remain in Abu Dhabi?. Have an Abu Dhabi channel on my satelite tv system,but as it's in their own tongue,I can't understand it:(..but the odd time watch anyway!:)

Haha yeah I see I have that on sky here at home too! They show Arabic soaps on it! In the international section of the sky tv guide there's a good few channels which deal with Islam in the english language. I was intrigued by the fact these obviously religious channels weren't included in the religion section alongside the Christian channels... :rolleyes:
I'm planning on staying in Abu Dhabi for the indefinite future. I really love the place, the people, and it's a nice blend of the Western world meets the Middle East. Inshallah I'll be making a few trips to the surrounding countries too. I have Emirati friends (non-practicing Muslims) and I have met many Muslims through my boyfriend. I'm SO excited to get back next week, a friend's mother is going to teach me how to pray properly and take me to the English speaking mosque.

Freiheit

Again I'm happy for you.:) Yes turned on that channel again an hour ago and even though I couldn't understand the oral language,there's more form's of language than speech,the cartoon was still funny!....

I sometime's browse the Islam channel myself,is that what your referring to or is there is others on Sky free view?.

masadjie

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Took my shahada last night
Thank you everybody for your advice.

Alhamdulillah. Excellent. I am happy to hear that. Finally the day is come. I am sure it will be nice to life in a blend of the Western world meets the Middle East in Abu Dhabi. You will learn Islam faster there than in Ireland. Congratulation and Good luck.

irishconvert

pinkheels88 wrote: »

I was intrigued by the fact these obviously religious channels weren't included in the religion section alongside the Christian channels... :rolleyes:

Yes it's crazy isn't it. Maybe they are afraid people will find these channels and find out what Islam really is as opposed to the nonsense we are fed in the media.

pinkheels88

Voodoo_rasher wrote: »

Pink.. "I'm preparing to take my shahada very soon. I'm very excited about this, but I'm not sure when and where I should take this step. All I know is, I'm ready. I'm in Ireland at the moment and will be back in Abu Dhabi the first week of September. My faith has strengthened in the past few months as I'm reading qu'ran daily. "

you sound like you were a pious catholic once. Now you are a pious convert ha ha.

"..more regular prayer and increased study of Islam"

born again eh? lol.

You'll soon find you are giving up more than alcohol. Islam- the religion of the sword as Rottweiler of the Vatican once put it.

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve with this comment but you are grossly misinformed.

Mark Hamill

Voodoo_rasher wrote: »

Pink.. "I'm preparing to take my shahada very soon. I'm very excited about this, but I'm not sure when and where I should take this step. All I know is, I'm ready. I'm in Ireland at the moment and will be back in Abu Dhabi the first week of September. My faith has strengthened in the past few months as I'm reading qu'ran daily. "

you sound like you were a pious catholic once. Now you are a pious convert ha ha.

I actually don't see anything in her posts that make her seem like she was a pious catholic and has simply swapped out for another religion .

Mark Hamill

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Haha yeah I see I have that on sky here at home too! They show Arabic soaps on it! In the international section of the sky tv guide there's a good few channels which deal with Islam in the english language. I was intrigued by the fact these obviously religious channels weren't included in the religion section alongside the Christian channels... :rolleyes:

Well if they show soaps or other types of shows (maybe cultural shows, rather than religious shows) then they wouldn't belong in the religion section.

irishconvert

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Well if they show soaps or other types of shows (maybe cultural shows, rather than religious shows) then they wouldn't belong in the religion section.

Islam Channel and Peace TV are 100% religious and belong in the religious section. Yet they are mixed among the international channels.

KamiKazi

Silly, silly girl.

dead one

KamiKazi wrote: »

Silly, silly girl.

Why do you care!!! --

pinkheels88

It's sad that someone feels the need to come onto a thread like this, insult the OP and tarnish a forum which is otherwise enlightening, with their obvious and unconcealed hatred and self righteousness.

Jaafa

pinkheels88 wrote: »

It's sad that someone feels the need to come onto a thread like this, insult the OP and tarnish a forum which is otherwise enlightening, with their obvious and unconcealed hatred and self righteousness.

But pinkheels can't you see? You've been brainwashed!

irishconvert

KamiKazi banned for one week to give him/her time to read the charter.

ozzz

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm preparing to take my shahada very soon. .

Hey,

Just out of curiosity, what is it about Islam that you admire?

Also, before converting, did you take the time to look into other religions?

Alice1

Congratulations Pinkheels and every good wish for your new life.

pinkheels88

ozzz wrote: »

Hey,

Just out of curiosity, what is it about Islam that you admire?

Also, before converting, did you take the time to look into other religions?

Hey,

Sorry I'm just seeing this now. No, I didn't take time to look into other religions. I wouldn't say I chose Islam, I would say it chose me al hamdullilah. So many things happened in my life in such quick succession that lead me to the path I am so grateful to me on now, that I can call it nothing but fate.
I didn't just decide one day that I had enough with being a lapsed Catholic and that I wanted to explore my options to join another institutional religion.

I had almost completely lost touch with my spiritual side, although it was still there. I always believed in God. As many others do, I always prayed when I was afraid of something or wanted help with something.
What I have learned from the Islamic way of life is that we pray to God not only when we are in need but as a form of rememberance and devotion. Keeping up my prayers (although admittedly I have struggled with this at times) keeps me in dhikir (rememberance of God and the path that I am on), it gives me strength to be as peaceful, loving, forgiving and patient a person as I can be. The main tenents of Islam are all there in Christianity. However, personally, Islam appealed to me because I don't see any middle man. Everytime I pray to God, it's to GOD. I confess my sins to GOD, I ask forgiveness from GOD, I ask for guidance from GOD. Sure we have our prophets (peace be upon them) but I don't pray to them, I pray to God just like they did and of course I admire and respect them for their virtuous faith.
When I keep up the prayer, read translations and recite Qu'ran in Arabic it gives me such an unbelievable peaceful feeling. I'll never forget the day I said my shahada in the English-speaking masjid in Abu Dhabi. I was trembling, tears pouring down my face before I said those words but the second I sat in front of all the women and the Imam there and started "ashadu an la illaha ill allah...." , I felt the BIGGEST smile growing on my face and a feeling I've never experienced before. A content joyful feeling that still resonates with me every time I pray with strong intention.

BaBaBluesheep

pinkheels88 wrote: »

Hey,

Sorry I'm just seeing this now. No, I didn't take time to look into other religions. I wouldn't say I chose Islam, I would say it chose me al hamdullilah. So many things happened in my life in such quick succession that lead me to the path I am so grateful to me on now, that I can call it nothing but fate.
I didn't just decide one day that I had enough with being a lapsed Catholic and that I wanted to explore my options to join another institutional religion.

I had almost completely lost touch with my spiritual side, although it was still there. I always believed in God. As many others do, I always prayed when I was afraid of something or wanted help with something.
What I have learned from the Islamic way of life is that we pray to God not only when we are in need but as a form of rememberance and devotion. Keeping up my prayers (although admittedly I have struggled with this at times) keeps me in dhikir (rememberance of God and the path that I am on), it gives me strength to be as peaceful, loving, forgiving and patient a person as I can be. The main tenents of Islam are all there in Christianity. However, personally, Islam appealed to me because I don't see any middle man. Everytime I pray to God, it's to GOD. I confess my sins to GOD, I ask forgiveness from GOD, I ask for guidance from GOD. Sure we have our prophets (peace be upon them) but I don't pray to them, I pray to God just like they did and of course I admire and respect them for their virtuous faith.
When I keep up the prayer, read translations and recite Qu'ran in Arabic it gives me such an unbelievable peaceful feeling. I'll never forget the day I said my shahada in the English-speaking masjid in Abu Dhabi. I was trembling, tears pouring down my face before I said those words but the second I sat in front of all the women and the Imam there and started "ashadu an la illaha ill allah...." , I felt the BIGGEST smile growing on my face and a feeling I've never experienced before. A content joyful feeling that still resonates with me every time I pray with strong intention.

I love what you've said here pinkheels:)
I've been finding idris tawfiq extremely inspiring too..I think Islam in the hands of rounded thinkers would be absolutely beautiful. all the best

http://www.idristawfiq.com/index.php?category=4

KamiKazi

I stand by my original post.

irishconvert

KamiKazi wrote: »

I stand by my original post.

4 weeks, bye bye

BaBaBluesheep

I can't believe some wally on here decided to hack/relink the link I put in to my last msg here(!)...idris tawfiq doesn't have anything to do with catholicism anymore...you can just google him, he's from the uk..what he says is extremely relevant to islam in the west..he used to be a catholic priest and found, after a trip to egypt, that he was led naturally in to islam..he has a fresh connection/perspective on islam but gives christianity the nod it deserves in Islam..nothing offensive about him..I have found him v inspiring and he makes alot of sense!I think he was even featured on ireland AM abt 3 yrs back..I don't see why anyone would have a problem with my post, especially when its posted in the Islam forum..maybe you're just scared of islam making sense to ppl whoever you are

Frank Grimes

BaBaBluesheep wrote: »

I can't believe some wally on here decided to hack/relink the link I put in to my last msg here(!)

The problem is with his website, the hosting looks to have been suspended - it's now redirecting to a holding page (which isn't working) http://www.idristawfiq.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi the title is 'contact support'. It's nothing anyone here could have done.

maybe you should check the veracity of your links before calling anyone here a wally or yelling about anti islam conspiracies in the islam forum

BaBaBluesheep

isn't that strange?..his page has been up for ages and has never gone down...and it just so happens that the holding page has catholic references slapped all over it...and his facebook page hasn't been affected...or should we watch this space on that going down too in the near future?..hmm,I just wanted to share something with like minded ppl but my guess is there might be those with issues..do you think the pope has something to do with this:)

BaBaBluesheep

bluewolf, i didn't call anyone in particular here a wally though..I said some wally on here..that could even be someone lurking..but point taken

hivizman

BaBaBluesheep wrote: »

I've been finding Idris Tawfiq extremely inspiring too..I think Islam in the hands of rounded thinkers would be absolutely beautiful. all the best.

http://www.idristawfiq.com/index.php?category=4

Odd about his website - but there are a lot of videos about Idris Tawfiq on YouTube, such as this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHYWKM596k

IrishAm

Have Irish converts set up a support group to deal with bacon withdrawal symptoms?:D

Freiheit

I personaly think eating pigs is pretty disgusting,such an intelligent and apparently affectionate animal. I admire Muslims for taking a stand for pigs rights.

I'm in the process of becoming vegetarian.