Ads by Muslim Ad Network

aaa

On Being a New Muslim (Q&A Session)

Theresa Corbin
13 February, 2017

Asalamu Alaikum brothers and sisters, 

More and more people are entering Islam and facing a mountain of unanswered questions. Or new Muslims are finding answers to questions that do not take the experience of the convert into account. For this reason, we are pleased to offer a live session just for new Muslims.

This session will be dedicated to answering all the questions new Muslims have about identity, culture, and learning and living Islam.

You don’t even have to be “new” to participate. Those who are newly practicing are welcome to join the session.

The session host will be writer and once new Muslim, Theresa Corbin. So please jot down your questions and join us Thursday, February 16th, from 8 PM-10 PM GMT  (11 PM – 1 AM Makkah) ( 3 PM – 5 PM New York)

Ads by Muslim Ad Network

If you won’t be available during this time, but you have questions that need answers, don’t worry! You can email your questions in advance to [email protected], and our counselor will include them in the Live Session. 

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017 | 23:00 - 01:00 GMT

Session is over.
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed by hosts/guests on this program (live dialogue, Facebook sessions, etc.) are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.  

I converted to Islam a few years ago. I have been learning slowly and haven’t told many people. But I recently started going to the masjid near my house and befriended a lovely Palestinian woman who is very religious. We got to talking about our hobbies and I mentioned that I LOVE to dance. I have danced from a young age and it is such a great stress reducer for me. But I was heartbroken when my new Muslim friend told me that dancing is haram. How do I reconcile my need for this form of exercise with my new faith?



Asalamu Alaikum Sister,

The first thing to understand here is that some people from the Arab speaking world sometimes do not use the word “haram” in the sense that we understand it i.e. unlawful in Islam. Haram can take on the meaning of something like “shame” to an Arabic speaker. But, of course the meaning-unlawful- can still apply. We do the same thing with English words. So, when talking to an Arabic speaker, it might be beneficial to ask what they meant when they use the word “haram”.

Secondly, it is great to learn about Islam from those who have practiced it their entire lives. However, many people hold different opinions about how permissible in Islam certain actions and situations are. As you move forward in learning your religion from others, it will be very beneficial for you to ask for evidence from the Quran and/or Sunnah for the basis of opinions. 

This shouldn’t be considered rude. It is your religious right to know your faith from the source. As for dancing in and of itself, this is not haram. What the sister probably meant to say is that dancing in front of men is haram. I think you can understand this. Dancing is not a very modest act. That being said, dancing can be a great form of exercise, and a great way to look after the health of the body that God gave you.

So, please by all means dance as long as it is not in front of men. The scholars at Ask the Scholar have addressed this issue better than I can. You can check out their approach to understanding the permissibility of dancing here: https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-the-scholar/morals-manners/dancing-allowed-not/  
I hope this helps. All the Best. Salam.

Ads by Muslim Ad Network

Sometimes my family hides pork in my food just to spite me and my faith. How can I tell them or make them know I am serious about eating pork and that what they are doing is devastating to me?



Asalamu Alaikum,

I am very sorry to hear that this is happening to you. There are many things that you can do in your situation.

1- You can teach your family why pork is so unhealthy and perhaps persuade them to at least cut back on it themselves.

2- You can have a heart to heart with your family members (perhaps one on one would be easiest) about why they are so opposed to your choices. And you can turn this into a chance to clear the air of any misconceptions or misunderstandings they may have about your choice of Islam and to not eat pork.

3- Don’t assume that they know what pork means. Many people don’t know that pork means any meat that comes from a pig. Explain to them that ham, salami, bacon, etc. are all pork.  

Ads by Muslim Ad Network

4- Ask if you can prepare or help prepare the food for the family so that you know exactly what is going in it. If you are able to do this, it will be a very good deed for you to nourish your family.

5- If you are not allowed to help out with the cooking, then ask if you can prepare your own food separately, but still eat with your family to keep the bonds of love that breaking bread with people brings.

6- If all else fails, know that Allah only judges us by our intentions. If you have mistakenly eaten pork because someone put it in your food without your knowledge, know that you are not accountable for that. That is not your sin to bear.

I hope this helps. Salam.

Also check out this links for more info:

https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/living-islam/when-new-to-islam-dont-sweat-the-small-stuff/

https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/understanding-islam/avoid-eating-pork/

https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/understanding-islam/pork-forbidden-islam/

I have just accepted Islam and I have heard I have to change my name to an Islamic name. I don't want to do this because I like the name my parents have given me and I do not want to insult or hurt them by changing my name. Is it really necessary?



Asalamu Alaikum,

There are some Muslims who believe that you must change your name to an Arabic name once you convert/revert. This is simply not true. In fact, there were Muslims at the time of the Prophet (PBUH) who had non-Arab names, and were themselves not Arabs.

You can keep your name as long as it doesn’t mean something bad or denote that you are from another religion. For example, someone with any iteration of the name Christopher, Christiana, etc. would be advised to change their name since it means Christian, and that person is no longer Christian. Or someone with a name that means something like evil, should change their name out of respect for the good nature that Allah created all humans with.  

But having an Arabic name does not make you any “more” Muslim. The Arabic language has significance in Islam since it is the language in which the Quran was revealed and has been preserved, but The Arabs or Arabic names in themselves hold no superiority to other ethnicities or names. We are only superior by way of piety and this is for Allah alone to determine. So, since you do not want to hurt you parents’ feelings, and this is something that Islam would encourage- parents are due a great amount of respect, you have every right to very kindly ask people to call you by the name your parents gave you.

I hope this helps. May Allah bless you in your name and make it a source of good for you in this life and the next. And please check out these links to learn more:

Ads by Muslim Ad Network

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/need-change-names/

Are Arabs Superior In Islam?

 

I broke my foot many years ago and walked on it for several years while it was broken. As a consequence, I had to have surgery on it and it never healed right. It bothers me from time to time and I cannot bend it certain ways. My question is, how can I pray with such an injury and inability to bend my foot in the way it needs to be bent when sitting in prayer? I have just come to Islam and have watched videos on how to pray, but have not attempted it since I know it will be very painful/impossible to sit like that.



Asalamu Alaikum,

I am sorry to hear about your injury and the subsequent hardships it has caused. And thank you for your question, which I am sure many people will also have. Allah is the most Merciful and the religion of Islam is meant to be easy and not bring us hardships. This may seem contradictory as one enters the faith and has a steep learning curve to face. But once one is settled in the religion, the wisdom of all the guidance Allah has given us becomes more clear and the ease becomes apparent.

As for your situation, Allah, having created us and all that is in our lives, knows that sometimes concessions need to be made. And being the Most Merciful, He has made allowances for such difficult situations. For example, when we are traveling, because of the stress and hardship of travel, Allah has made it so that we can shorten and combine our prayers (More about that here: https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-the-scholar/shortening-and-combining-prayers-while-traveling/ ). Similarly, for those who cannot kneel or bend their feet in the ways needed to pray, then a concession is made for that as well.

For you, in your situation with your foot, you may stand for the first part of the prayer and bow for the second part as usual. But when it comes time to kneel and sit, since this is painful and may even be detrimental for you, you may use a chair to sit and bow down in. Try to make your head go as low as you can, simulating the prostration. Then sit up and bow again, then make the tashahhud (the part where the one praying lifts the pointer finger on the right hand) while sitting in the chair, at the appropriate time. Then when the time to stand comes again, stand up again. And so on.

I hope this helps. If you need more clarification, please let us know. And keep up your great work in learning the prayer! All the best. Salam.

Ads by Muslim Ad Network

Also find more at these links:

https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/islam-is-easy-dont-make-it-difficult/

https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/living-islam/when-new-to-islam-dont-sweat-the-small-stuff/