Hello, I am an American who is very interested in Islam. I was raised secular my whole life; I used to think that there was no way there could be a god. I am considered to be a very pragmatic person; however, as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in Islam and have maintained high respect for Muslims. Recently, I have had a strong pull towards Islam. Today, I did Wudu for the first time and prayed for the second time. I did feel something resonate inside me. I have had recent thoughts about converting to Islam. I am currently reading the Quran online, and I love it so much. I wanted to know: are there any tips or guides that can help with my journey of conversion? Thanks!

It is becoming more and more common for people to argue that our faith isn’t Abrahamic or that the Kaaba never existed.

In particular it is very funny how Christians and atheists claim that our holy site was in Petra or was never Abrahamic. They couldn’t be more wrong.

“But the Kaaba never ever existed before 7th century, and it was a house of idolatry. Islam isn’t Abrahamic.”

WRONG.

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As shown an area or Makkah is mentioned in the Asatir : Book of Moses, Samaritan works based of Rabbianic Tradition, in which during the times of Adam and Eve, one of their offspring Kain ventured to what became known as Arafat. This location still exists and is used for Hajj to this day.

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The Asatir further elaborates on Makkah by mentioning that the descendants of Abraham ventured far and wide through the region, during which they built Makkah.

What is most notable in this chapter of the Book is that it confirms Makkah as being Baka, and Baka/Baca/Bakkah is mentioned in Bible. Also Ptolemy later also highlighted Makkah and Macoraba.

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The Asatir elaborates again by mentioning that “they built Balkh.” This is another way of saying Makkah and Bakkah.

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Makkah again is referenced as Baca, and specifically Baca is elaborated as being a reference to Baldwin Trees.

Guess where these trees were found? The valley of Bakkah, as it is the perfect environment for them. The area or Makkah at the time was barren, but than came the will of Allah and Zam Zam water.

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The Asatir is further elaborated on as well as connecting the narrative, which is that Ishmael and Hagar clearly align with Makkah because they built it up. So Makkah = Bakkah.

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The Biblehub website states that descendants of Nuh dwelled within the region of Hejaz, specially between Makkah and Madinah. It confirms that that Genesis 10 of the Bible defenses Makkah, as Mesha is another name.

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Than we have the store of Prophet Musa, as in Exodus 5, where they elaborate that the Heb is a reference to not just feasting but pilgrimage. So Musa asked the Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to visit the sanctuary, which is the Kaaba, in Makkah.

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Using archive and way back machines, we can find that websites like Encyclopedia Brittanica had adjectives for locations. The first alternative is Bakkah, which is very interesting how this never exists on their main website anymore, wonder which somebodies ma them remove that page.

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We have translations of Genesis 16:13–15)

"She therefore named the oasis, 'Oasis to Life my Vision' (Be'er LaChai Ro'i). It is between Kadesh and Bered."

Verse 16:15 mentions Hagar bearing Ishmael.

Ibn Ezra identifies the Arabs holding a festival around what is now geographically Makkah.

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The oldest textual documentation of Makkah is from 1st Century BC in an inscription written by a man named Abd Mecca.

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Ancient Greek Historian correctly identified the Kaaba as being grand, to the point all Arabs revere it. Yes he made the error of linking it to being near the Red Sea, but there is no doubt this is the Kaaba.

What is noteworthy is the mention of the Kiswa, and it being a tradition centuries before the 600s. The king of Yemen went far from his homeland to bestow this veil.

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During the time of the Roman Empire, another historian named Ammianus went out of his way to name a city Gierapolis or Hierapolis, meaning Holy City.

There were multiple temples in Arabia, that much is true, but naming an entire city Holy is a very investing choice itself. So therefore this is a revenge to Makkah.

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The Roman Geographer Ptolemy in 2nd Century AD listed numerous cities in Arabia, including Tayma, Najran, etc.

Makkah is referred as Macoraba

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Saint Epiphanius of Salamis, who knew Ammianus, referenced the Arabs festival which he named Agathalbaith, pilgrimage to the House. This was later transformed into what is now Hajj.

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Around a century later the ambassador or the Byzantine emperor wrote a report on the Arabs. He mentioned that inhabitants south of the Levant and beyond the tayy mountains met twice a year during which fighting was not allowed.

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After the emergence of the Rashidun, there was a piece called the Syriac Chronicle of Khuzestan, which noted that the Arabs make pilgrimage to the “Tomb of Abraham” and do sacrifices, following the example of their ancestor, Ishmael.

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Ptolemy’s descriptions mapped.

Courtesy of OpenIslam Wiki for collecting these sources

https://www.openislam.wiki/

Hi. My dog is having surgery. Its a completely routine thing, shes getting fixed.

I have exams this week and the stress has been giving me nightmares. One of them is an ultra realistic one where I wake up and she is in my bed, still and cold, having passed away in the night without anyone noticing. The timing is just really bad. I think it would help if I knew people were thinking of her.

This might sound crazy but I don't think there will be many people in Jahannam. Given that 99 of the 100 units of mercy belong to Allah for the day of judgement, and generally that He is the most forgiving and merciful, I think He made it extremely difficult for mankind to go to hell. I understand that there are humans that are pure evil, committing atrocities, and rejecting the truth. I see how they could go to hell. But I feel like even those that we believe don't deserve anything, Allah will see through their sin and understand how their behavior may have all started from childhood pain or trauma and thus forgive them. I have these thoughts a lot, can anyone share some ideas? Jazakullahu khayrun.

I just feel like praying

Source

Islam discourages blind obedience and encourages questions, it's in the Quran. Also Islamophobic people are so annoying but funny to me. You give them proof? They don't care, you give up because they give you a headache (they refuse to do their own research) and they insult you. But how did they find out about Islam? Well probably the news, their Islamophobia would vanish if they actually researched islam, they also think every Muslim is arab. They're also not considering that it's all extremists

I live in Europe, and most of my closest friends are Muslim. We're a group of 12 and my Muslim friends have usually described themselves as some form of progressive. We've always gotten along really well and have openly discussed faith many times. I grew up in a non-Abrahamic faith but have considered myself agnostic for years. I've always been interested in understanding their religious perspectives, while being equally clear about my skepticism toward organized religion.

A few days ago, I was invited to one of their homes for dinner. When I arrived, I noticed that our three other non-Muslim friends weren't there. I later learned they hadn't been invited. I didn't think much of it at the time.

The evening started normally, but eventually the conversation turned to religion. This time, however, it felt different. They began asking about my beliefs, and the conversation quickly turned into an effort to convince me to accept Islam.

They told me it was their duty to educate me about Islam and that I would find happiness and peace if I accepted it. Much of the discussion revolved around monotheism, which confused me because I've never particularly advocated for polytheism either.

I politely tried to end the conversation several times, but they kept pressing. When they asked about my reservations, I explained that I have disagreements with aspects of religious scripture across all faiths, not just Islam. They called me "ignorant" for rejecting the Quran without first studying it in detail. They told me I would be viewed unfavorably on judgement day because I was being given an opportunity to learn about the "true Islam" and was choosing to reject it.

That was very painful to hear, especially coming from people I consider my closest friends.

A few were more persistent than others. Some visibly disengaged, but nobody stepped in or respected my attempts to end the conversation. Eventually, I said I needed to leave. Those who had been particularly invested seemed upset. I had never seen them like this. One asked if I would visit a mosque the next day to speak with someone and learn more. When I politely declined, he wouldn't even look at me.

Since then, our group chats have gone almost completely quiet. I reached out privately to a few who hadn't actively participated, asking what that evening was about and they have not responded to my messages, which is causing me to get anxious.

I feel pretty awful about the whole thing. These are people I considered my closes friends, and I don't understand why they would put me in that position. I've always respected their beliefs, even when I disagree, and I thought that respect was mutual. Given how they've always presented themselves as progressive and accepting of different beliefs, the experience was very unexpected. I also can't help wondering whether the evening was deliberately arranged for this conversation, given that our other non-Muslim friends weren't invited.

I don't want to lose these friendships. I want to understand why they felt compelled to do this and how I can respectfully make it clear that I don't want it to happen again.

I'd especially appreciate perspectives on whether this is considered a religious obligation, even when someone has expressed repeatedly expressed discomfort. More generally, how do I mend these friendships while respecting their faith and protecting my own boundaries and dignity?

The audio clip, exhibited in Dubai's Empty Quarter Gallery, is said to date back to 130 years ago.
It was recorded by Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje, a Dutch citizen, during a trip to the holy city of Makkah in 1885.
In this recording of the Quran, Surah Dhuha (the 93rd Surah of the Quran) is being recited.

The recitation was recorded using Thomas Edison’s newly-invented wax cylinders.

This video was taken from CNN Archives.

And We did certainly give Moses the Scripture and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party you denied and another party you killed.

Musa • Moses

The verse eloquently moves the sequence from Moses to the series of Messengers then to Jesus (peace be upon them all) who are major stages in prophetic history.

Rusul • Messengers

The word Rasul (messenger) is also a near synonym of the word Nabi (prophet). As we have already discussed, Quran uses near synonyms for different purposes, for example to add more dimensions or different tone to the text which is very eloquent. The root of the word Rasool is associated with the meaning of being sent. whereas the root of word Nabi is associated with news or elevation.

Ruh Al Qudus • Holy Spirit

In Quran the "Holy spirit" is the title of jibrael and he serves to execute commands of God like to inspire, helping in righteous mission or conveying words of God. And The word spirit (ruh) is also used for soul of life. For prophet Isa (peace be upon him) both spirits are used in the Quran.

la tahwa • doesn't meet desires

The Quran says that they used to deny and kill the Prophets who didn't meet their desire. This is recorded history of bani Israel that they denied and killed Prophets who weren't meeting their desires. For example in the book of prophet Jeremiah it's mentioned that he warned them about destruction for following other gods but they denied and even wanted to kill him because this was not what they wanted to hear , and they even believed in fake prophets who were telling about peace.  Similarly they also denied prophet Jesus.

Hadith

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعْتَمِرٌ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي قَالَ، سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏"‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْهَرَمِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from helplessness, laziness, cowardice and feeble old age; I seek refuge with You from afflictions of life and death and seek refuge with You from the punishment in the grave."

Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari, 2823

In-Book Reference: Book 56, Hadith 39

USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 77 (deprecated numbering scheme)

I grew up in a very religious Muslim family. From a young age, I attended Quran classes, memorised surahs, prayed, fasted, and followed what I was taught. Religion has always been a big part of my life, but lately I’ve been questioning things, and I’m struggling to figure out what I genuinely believe.

I’m not saying I’ve decided to leave Islam, and I’m not trying to prove it wrong. I genuinely want to learn, research, and understand things for myself rather than blindly accepting everything I’ve been taught. The problem is that growing up, I never really felt comfortable asking questions. Whenever I questioned something, I was usually told to pray more or practise Islam more, rather than having my questions properly answered. Now I sometimes feel guilty for even questioning things.

One of my biggest struggles is the way women are treated in certain Islamic teachings and interpretations. I find it difficult to understand some of the expectations placed on women, particularly regarding hijab, modesty, marriage, obedience, and gender roles. I also struggle with the idea that women seem to carry more responsibility for modesty, while men’s responsibilities often receive less attention. Sometimes it feels like purity culture is being justified through religion, and I genuinely want to understand whether I’m misunderstanding these teachings or whether there are different interpretations.

I also have questions about hadith and how they should be understood alongside the Quran. I’ve come across certain claims about women, and some of them have honestly made me uncomfortable. I don’t want to take things out of context or rely on random posts online, but I also don’t want to dismiss my concerns just because something is presented as religious.

My family is very religious, and I feel like they’re starting to notice that I’m not practising as much as I used to. There’s also pressure around things like hijab and how I dress. I don’t want to follow something simply because I’m being pressured into it; I want to understand the reasoning behind it and make sense of my faith genuinely.

I do still believe in certain things associated with Islam, such as doing good, being patient, fasting during Ramadan, and the idea that Allah knows what we don’t. But there are other things I’m unsure about, and I don’t know how to reconcile them.

I’m trying to approach this as fairly as possible. I don’t want to cherry-pick interpretations just because they align with my existing views, but I also don’t want to accept something without examining it. I want to look at the Quran, authentic hadith, scholarly interpretations, historical context, and different perspectives before drawing my own conclusions.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have studied these topics seriously.

• How did you approach difficult questions about Islam without feeling guilty for asking them?
• What reliable resources would you recommend for understanding the Quran, hadith, and their historical context?
• How do you distinguish between Islamic teachings, scholarly interpretations, and cultural practices?
• If you’ve struggled with questions about women’s rights and gender roles in Islam, how did you work through them?

I’m not looking for arguments or people telling me to simply pray more. I’m genuinely trying to understand, and I’d appreciate thoughtful, respectful answers, even if they challenge what I currently think. I’m open to learning, but I also want to feel that asking sincere questions is okay.

before you all judge me, yes I got emotionally connected and I know it’s not right but I really loved him. I (F22) fought for 2 years to get engaged to my fiance (M23). I fought my family and I did what I could. However, he kept feeling that he was being disrespected by my family. The full story is very long but at some point my parents felt disrespected and stopped answering his parents phone calls. There was a massive argument about the mehr and my family got angry at him and words were thrown around. I was caught in a fire between my parents and him and everyone around me. My dad said he wanted to end things so I went to my fiance and I told him that (that was a mistake on my end) and me and my fiance broke it off right then and there. We both cried a lot and said we wanted to keep fighting and then we eventually moved to an agreement to end it. However, today I realized I don’t actually want to end it. I realized that we can fight this and I really wanted to because he’s so good to me in a lot of ways. I spoke with my friend who’s married and a therapist and she spoke to me for 3 hours with very powerful advice. I was feeling motivated to work on things. I told him let’s keep fighting but he said he gives up. That him and his family feel too disrespected and there’s no reason to keep going. Two years. Two years of my life. I did everything I could and I feel like I didn’t advocate for him enough. But I really did try my best. I tried so hard and I’m so heartbroken. I also lost his sisters as my best friends and two other best friends that I had through them all and I’m afraid my entire social life is about to collapse. I don’t know what to do. I’m going to therapy to learn about setting boundaries with my family and rebuilding my confidence and coping skills. I’m not eating, I’m not sleeping, I’m calling out of work and I’m ashamed of myself. I’m filled with guilt and fear. Everyone is leaving me. Idk what to do.

As far as I understand, Allah created us to worship Him. So, could the reasons for this worship include love, as well as fear of and respect for Allah??

Assalamu alaikum everyone,
My 10-year-old daughter has completed the Quran, Alhamdulillah, and I’m planning a little celebration for her to mark this special milestone, What did you do for your children’s Quran completion ceremony?
Please help with the following…

Activities or entertainment for the children
Party favours or gift bags
Special touches to make the day memorable
Any traditions or things you included to celebrate their achievement

We’ll have children attending who are both Muslim and non-Muslim

I want it to feel special for her without going too over the top. I’d love to hear what you’ve done or what you wish you’d done!
JazakAllah khair for any suggestions.

Hello all, I want to know if anyone who was Christian or raised Christian before you decided to go to Islam. What made you believe Islam was the truth. Did you feel enormous guilt converting thinking you were betraying god? How your family took it when you told them? What made you overcome those thoughts and stand firm in your belief? These genuine questions and would love to hear stories about your journey. Maybe it will help me with my decision, I've been going through this for a couple years now. But I really want to deep dive, talk to reverts, truly understand before I make my decision. Also anyone else feeling the same way to regardless of religion feel free. Sometimes I feel alone going through this, trying to figure out where my faith resides, but I know there are many others who go through this struggle as well

Construction of the Old Mosque (Eski Cami) in Edirne began during the Ottoman Interregnum and was completed in 1414 under Sultan Mehmed I. In Turkish-Islamic architecture, it stands out as one of the most remarkable structures celebrated specifically for its grand calligraphic art. In fact, a famous local saying praises the structure of Selimiye and the grand portal of Üç Şerefeli, but when it comes to calligraphy, it always points to the Old Mosque.

The massive interior pillars and walls are covered with over 50 large-scale calligraphic works written in the Jali Thuluth script, created by five master calligraphers between the 18th and 20th centuries. Among the most striking pieces are the "mirrored" (mutanna) compositions, which can be read symmetrically from both the left and right sides. Another iconic symbol inside the mosque is a composition of two facing Waw (و) letters forming a heart shape with the phrase "Mashallah" inscribed at its center. Throughout the prayer hall, these monumental calligraphic panels display the names of Allah, the names of the Caliphs, and profound Hadiths such as "This world is the field of the Hereafter" and "The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets

Not exactly a question about Islam but more so about Islam’s sociocultural effects. When searching the web about this I was unable to find any information on the topic which was surprising to me.

I would imagine Niqab or Khimar (apologies if I am misusing the vocabulary) could easily wear a mask under the fabric (if not having the fabric be thick enough to act as a mask itself), but perhaps it has an opposite effect of having folk justify not wearing a mask due to already having one type of covering on.

Hey I'm so confused cause i wana join islam but the thing is I'm confused if Crossdressers/Femboys can join islam or not?

The thing is i really like islam and wana be a part of it now.

(any kind of help is appreciated)

Assalamualaikum,
I matched with a woman who is a revert, and we’ve been connecting really well. We’ve also met in person and have been mindful of keeping things halal and maintaining physical boundaries. We’re both approaching this with marriage in mind.

Her family is Christian, and she doesn’t currently have a wali. We’re unsure how to arrange that and what the process of getting to know each other should look like in the meantime.

I also haven’t spoken to my parents yet. They’ve rejected potential matches in the past, so I’m honestly afraid of going through that again. I want to take responsibility for my marriage decisions while treating my parents respectfully and taking their concerns seriously.

I spoke to my local imam, who offered to contact her local imam to make appropriate background inquiries and help guide the process. Is this shady or should I ask her permission first?

Has anyone navigated something similar, especially marriage involving a revert without Muslim family members? How did you arrange a wali, manage communication before nikah, and involve hesitant parents?

We’re starting to feel attached, so we want to establish a proper process before that grows further. I’d appreciate practical advice, especially from people who have been through this.

Jazakum Allahu khayran.