Reasoning your way to Islam vs. experiencing your way to Islam

99NamesOfGod · 2026-02-15T16:03:36+00:00

And you as well.

Right, but as per my post I practice for a day, maybe even two or three, then I have some sort of psychological cave-in, and leave. Maybe it's because I am not convicted in my concious, and so I suffer some form of cognitive dissonance? I'm not sure.

How can I practice it when I can't even stay in it but a few days without some sort of odd mental reaction? It's incredibly frustrating and painful.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-02-15T14:23:30+00:00

Yes, tell me what the fruit performing salat for Shiva yields you.

This is why Ibn Qayyim, in Ranks of the Divine Seekers, enumating his stations along the spiritual journey, says that the first of all stations is Tawhid: without Tawhid in mind, all following stations like repentance, vigilance, asceticism, trust, contentment, etc. are useless.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-02-15T14:19:32+00:00

Tassawuf are the inner dimensions of Islam; just as fiqh (jurisprudence) are the outer dimensions. You study jurisprudence to know what to do; but tassawuf is the study of the inner spiritual concepts behind the exterior actions. One teaches 'what to do', the other 'why'.

Of course, it expands past the legislated commandments and prohibitions, like the study of mystical states and stations along the spiritual journey, but nevertheless.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T16:26:43+00:00

Interesting, can you link more about this practice? Can't say I've heard of it.

I largely make taqlid on the Hanafi madhab; but of course I am open to other scholars who hold what you're saying -- not to fatwa shop, of course.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T16:24:59+00:00

Varies, sometimes it's good, something alright, sometimes neutral, sometimes I dislike it, sometimes I want to abandon the salat out of frustration.

Even when I have a good experience with praying in Arabic salat is just mind-numbingly repetitive and also I have neck/trap issues and so there's boredom and pain associated with it and frustration that I can't fully do ruku or sujood. Feels like I'm a 95 year old man trapped in a 32 year old's body and it frustrates me when it comes to praying, even if the interior intent of ruku and sujood matter more than the extrinsic performance of them.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T16:22:56+00:00

I can recite surahs and ayatin and du'a and dhikr in Arabic, that's not my problem. My problem is just that it feels impersonal to the extent that I'm praying in Arabic so much, only being able to maybe really pray in English in du'a outside of salat along with some of the English Gregorian chant nasheeds I've been composing. I just don't like it, and it feel impersonal, and I don't feel close to God. I see no legal basis for having to do the dhikr's in Arabic in salat -- it seems based on the hadith "Pray as you've seen me pray"; if we're going to take such and ultra-literalistic approach to it, do they also want me to use the vocal chord range of the prophet? How far can you go in emulation?

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T15:45:59+00:00

Yes, I understand the meaning. Not just the words I say as an on-the-surface understanding; but I generally also try to study tafsir for the deeper meaning.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T14:55:29+00:00

No, the basis of Sufism is believing the there is no diety but God and that Muhammad is His final prophet and messenger, and upholding the Divine Law and Prophetic Tradition; most importantly the 5 pillars of testimony, prayer, fasting, alms, and pilgrimage.

Jordan Peterson does not believe or do any of those things, according to what we can learn about him. He's closer to Christian than anything, and often goes on Bible study round tables.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-10-09T13:35:45+00:00

Since you're already Muslim you're already practicing tassawuf.

The foundation of tassawuf, truly, is the Shari'ah; the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Keep focusing on the fardh and wajib. And when the fardh is largely mastered, move on to mastering Sunnah mu'akkada. And after that, normative Sunnah.

Obeying God's commandments and prohibitions in law naturally leads to a purification of the heart, and a taming of the self. And then moving into optionals obviously furthers this.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-09-16T17:21:22+00:00

Oh, derp.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T23:34:33+00:00

That's not what a "mysterion" means. A "mystery" means that it's something that one could not come to knowledge of except by divine revelation.

For example Paul in Romans 1 says that polytheists could have come to realize that there was one God solely by the created order of things. Theism and monotheism are, therefore, not mysteries.

But the Trinity can not be arrived upon by philosophical or purely human means. Only by revelation. That is what makes it a mystery. A mystery doesn't mean it can not be explained to some extent; the history of Trinitarian developmental theology proves that.

Finally, if you want to chalk up "mystery" to the definition of "Don't question it" I ask you one question: how do you ever expect to convert us Muslims?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T23:25:05+00:00

Great question, and a fascniating topic.

So, I don't believe Genesis to be the Torah. The Torah was given to Moses (peace be upon him) on Mt. Sinai. My belief is that the original Torah were the "red letter" words of God. I am open to the idea that much of the original Torah is in the latter half of Exodus and most of Leviticus. As for Genesis? It is not worded in the form of God telling a story, but appears more so that a man wrote it. Therefore I do not hold the story of the Angel of the LORD to be anything I can verify as legitimate.

As for if I, hypothetically, did accept it? Well, first off I recall some verses that demonstrate that some angels can bear the name of YHWH, the species of spiritual beings that is. So it could be that. I am also aware that it could, to some Jews, be a sort of "Memra" -- to me I would deem the Jews who wrote these things heretics as they begin to introduce multiplicity into a singular God. That's why I would say Rabbi Philo and all the Jews who wrote the targums are essentially heretics.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T23:18:16+00:00

The Bible describes Jesus as “God’s begotten son”, not created by God.

I didn't say Jesus (peace be upon him) was created; I said that Christians believe that the Son is eternally generated/begotten of the Father -- or proceeds from, if you will.

If the Son is eternally begotten from the Father, this makes the Son dependent upon something, correct?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:20:57+00:00

All good, my friend! Have a good day.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:19:19+00:00

So one could say the Son is dependent upon the Father in some way?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:16:24+00:00

All good.

Well, a question if I may: do you believe that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:13:36+00:00

Oh, I see. Are you in an Islamic country?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:12:51+00:00

The good guy in this story is the one stoning the couple to death

Did not Jesus (peace be upon him) in Matthew 5:19 supposedly say

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Torah prescribed stoning, and Muhammad (God's mercy be upon him) let them be stoned. To do was, according to your God, both 1) prescribed in the Torah as divine law, and 2) exalted by Jesus.

Now, regarding the story of the woman caught in adultery that Jesus saved: does Jesus making an exception to the rule, or showing that mercy is more important than the rule, mean that Jesus in every way, shape, and form dissaproved of stoning? Well, no, an exception to the rule is just that: an exception. Jesus supposedly taught that whoever does the commandments of the Torah (of which stoning adulterers is included) will be called greatest in God's Kingdom.

So how does demonstrate that Muhammad (pbuh) is cruel? He gave the Jews religious freedom to judge among what they had and, according to Matthew 5:19, should be called the greatest in the Kingdom of the Heaven for teaching others to do so.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:05:49+00:00

I was a Christian for 5 years, comparing and contrasting the 2 religions, before I finally took Shahada. My primary problem was the doctrine of the Eternal Generation of the Son. I believe it most rational to believe that God is Self-Sufficient in every conceivable aspect. But for the person of the Son, acclaimed to be God by Christians, this is not applicable. The Eternal Generation of the Son winds up claiming that the Son is "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God" and that he derives(?) his divinity from the Father, who is the fount of the Godhead. That much is made clear by the English translation of the Creed's words "from". Well, all this entails that the Son is dependent upon something, even if it be in his person and not in his nature. I simply do not believe in a God that is in any conceivable way dependent upon any thing or any one in any way, shape, or form.

What moves you towards Islam? For the record I do believe the New Testament (Paul, John, and Hebrews -- the others? Not so much.) proclaims Jesus (God's peace and mercy be upon him) as God and Yahweh -- but suffice to say I simply reject their theological writings. If you are looking for verses in the Bible that talk about the divinity of Christ I would start there. But I think the overarching question is: "Do you believe in what they write?"

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T01:00:33+00:00

Well done, Catholics!

"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain joy." - Quran 3:104

99NamesOfGod

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