https://youtu.be/zOIWCTcQ04A?si=2FgW8ClPbMUdumvO

This is a delightful video by Lady Izdihar, a comrade and Muslim woman who is a Soviet historian.

In this video she analyzes the context of a “sus” Soviet-era poster targeted towards Muslim women of Central Asia. She also discusses the rampant Islamophobia of the early Soviet Union, and the modern day. In the end, she concludes that the art piece is genuinely uplifting for Muslim women of the era. What are your thoughts? I think it was a great insight into the history of Muslim women of Central Asia.

What do you think of this movie? I watched it several times coz i like how aligned my beliefs are with it. Have you seen it? I think you all should, beautiful movie!

Realize that I need to get a better grasp on Islamic modernism, broadly speaking.

So far the people I’ve identified as required reading are: Al Afghani, Abduh, Ahmed, and Iqbal.

Are there others I’m missing?

Does it mean that men can show their private parts for women they decided to protect? Doesn’t that lean towards zina?

What would you say constitutes gambling when it comes to scenarios that don't involve real money? Like inside a video game where you can stake an item vs another player in a battle and the winner gets the other's item. I get it's not real money but kinda confused if this would fall under gambling in the Islamic sense...

Or if friends gather around with fake chips and player poker. By the end of the game nobody keeps anything anyway so I guess this wouldn't be considered gambling...

But what are your thoughts anyway? Especially on the first scenario, I'm curious to hear people's opinions!

Has anyone else done this? I am in the process. Currently reading the first book of the Bible, Genesis, from my understanding the first 5 books are the same as the Torah and considered the 5 books of Moses.

If you have can you share your findings or any observations you made etc.?

Hey I have this song I really like but it says that they see God in someone which could imply shirk. So can anyone tell if it's really haram as there could be a few other songs like this I like? Here's the song https://youtu.be/bsOBGWj8_SQ?feature=shared

Hi,

Yesterday I presented my perception to a religious person over the internet:

It was about suffering. In my perception human give suffering meaning and pull out lessons from their experiences but the experiences itself do not contain any worth, it´s how you choose to act on them. Then I told her that in my opinion, there is unnecessary suffering. Suffering where you can pull out any lesson out of it, it is simply gruesome, like rape, incurable disease etc.

The person confronted me and told me how is it possible that this is true, since it is only my subjetive moral perspective of naming it as unnecessary and told me that it´s arbitrarily and only I think it is true (tho I think it is simply logical). I didn´t really get the idea of the objective moral, I thought it is more a mean of education and how you grew up. Or if you have sociopathic oder psychipathic tendencies then you aren´t able to see this "objective moral" either.

Actually I thought that her point of view and my point of view aren´t really much different: we believe different things which are subjectively correct for us, she only sees her point of view as absolute while I don´t. To me, no matter if you´re religious or not, it is important to ask questions and find answers. Because I can only believe if I understand. In that way only, I can be convinced.

I am curious about your thoughts on that.

I use the word 'journey' because often it ain't very easy to start praying five times a day, plus, most people pray out of obligation without including the spiritual part. What made you really pray eventually? Was it something you read somewhere, a feeling you had 'inside' of your body/head, or just because you read about it in the Quran?

I'm very curious as I want to start praying everyday but I can't seem to hold on for more than two days.

Also: how do you guys pray when it comes down to prayer positions, reciting, clothing etc?

To prevent any discussion, I'm aware that there are people who pray three times a day, that is okay too. ❤️

In a hadeeth it was said that The believer who mixes with people and bears any annoyance they cause with patience, is better than the believer who does not mix with people and does not bear any annoyance they cause with patience." Does this mean I will be of the lower stage of Jannah if Allah is pleased with me than the person who greets and meets his guests?

I have hard social anxiety since childhood and even if I greet them with right intentions something goes wrong and they think I'm rude, that's why I don't meet the guests. I meet people who I'm comfortable with which is rare but I do. But the people I don't am with that close I can't approach properly, what to do and will Allah be angry with me if I don't greet them?

Salam everyone

TLDR: wanting to have progressive faith community 1)IRL, 2)online, 3) increase overall knowledge of Islam in a spiritual way-- getting back to basics and not focusing on all the little stuff because it gets me tripped up. Suggestions appreciated. Advice welcome.

I(29f) moved to a new city and want to make some progressive Muslim friends. I keep gravitating towards traditional conservative Muslims spaces like a toxic ex because it's familiar but I find myself feeling isolated, misunderstood, and sometimes flat out concerned and exhausted. I want a faith community but I don't want to go to a khutbah where the Imam is talking about things like nail polish and saying merry christmas will give you a 1st class ticket to jahanam (direct quote). I also just want to get back to the root of my faith. I was thinking of visiting my local Sufi center? Any experiences with that? Anyone here explorer sufism for a more spiritual connection to Allah SWT? I feel like I don't even know the basics of the Quran and overall religion sometimes.

Also if anyone has suggestions on any online communities (video/group oriented) that would be helpful as well! I used to go to a Malaysian Halaqa in Uni which I really loved (I'm east African lol I love globalization) so something like that would be nice.

I'm thinking seekers guidance to improve my Arabic? Quran bookclubs?

Increasing faith community suggestions welcome. Culturally speaking Islam has been a part of my life forever. I love the act of physically praying with others because I struggle myself. I love pondering with others on Allah's message and creation. I'm wondering how to cultivate these things to increase community and faith.

Thanks all!

I am a person that believes dreams have meaning and find this interesting. I had a dream I was in this house of someone in the dream that I was invited in. Eventually before I left there was a light (for some reason the light helped us connect to god in the dream?) and I burst out into tears because of it (out of goodness). Then the candle lights that were keeping the light on accidentally start burning other things, and I blew it out, and wrote on a sticky note for the house owner “Do not transgress your limits.” I have no idea what this means, but it’s interesting.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/27/opinion/us-arms-disclosure-ukraine-israel.html

We know very little about how American weapons are used once they reach the Israeli military. Are they used in Gaza, and how? Are they flowing to the West Bank? Is there a possibility that they reach battalions that the United States is considering sanctioning because of alleged human rights violations?

Transparency is the lifeblood of democracies. For the same reason that the White House takes care to explain how taxpayer dollars are spent on military support for Ukraine, the administration owes it to Americans to be forthcoming about weapons flown to Israel, even if it finds disclosure to be politically uncomfortable.

Peace be upon y’all. I have a question, I know sins should be inconspicuous, but I had a discussion with someone on how if you commit zina it’s hard for you to get married. I know growing up in a Very strict household people considered zina more severe than either committing shirk or murdering someone. Even when repented, Does that mean your life is ruin? Has anyone or knows anybody that did such acts but ended up getting married and are happily married.

I find some converts to be just as problematic and sometimes worse than many salafi and mainstream conservative Muslims. I had the unfortunate experience of questioning Hadith while in a coversation with a convert of 1-2 years and straight up he questioned whether I was a Muslim and suggested that I may instead be atheist or agnostic. Mind you, i met him AFTER praying he saw me pray give Salams and all that. Told him before that both my parents are Muslim heard his little convert story of when he used to be an Islamophobe and has now been “guided” and somehow he has the audacity to borderline cast me out of the religion because I question Hadith. 😂. You gotta love these people.

I don’t understand why some converts are so disgusting and become worse that the salafi. Surprisingly , the people who have takfir me were converts 😅. I had the unfortunate experience of another convert doing the same thing to me.

What is up with some cronverts being so problematic ?

Title says it all. Looking to hear stories about people in similar situation as mine. I’m a non Muslim, together with a Muslim girl. We love each other, but the lies are taking a toll on my mental health. Do anyone have any examples of successful stories with similar dynamics? Or are they always doomed to fail?

I have tried hard to believe in Islam by the way, but it ain’t for me. It’s so difficult to feel like I have to sacrifice my principals and values (honesty and authenticity) to be approved by the family and friends of the woman I love.

I’ve been to the mosque several times already. While I recognize it can be a nice place for many. It is an uncomfortable experience when you’re always lying about whether you truly believe or not.

I appreciate all stories and comments.

I (25F Muslim) was with a (35M Agnostic) for a year. He’s such an incredible individual. He’s so kind, thoughtful, brilliant and very hard working. We met at grad school last April, and have been together since then. We’ve had some problems, but I’d say the norm of what you’d expect when two people are getting to know each other. However, as you’ve guessed our different religious beliefs eventually caught up to us. I have to admit, I selfishly had hoped and tried to get him to read about Islam in hopes that Allah would guide him. He was a Mormon and his family still is. His experience with Christianity was heavily traumatizing as he’s shared, without enclosing details, and he’s convinced that all religions are man made. I deeply love him, and hoped and prayed I get to spend the rest of my life with him. He was the absolute best partner. I guess I’m just sort of mad with god that I’ve prayed for the past year that he’d guide him. Now I know what we all tell ourselves, that god always knows best, and when he keeps something from us it’s for our own good. I just wish I could’ve spend a life filled with adventure, love, happiness and growth with the love of my life. I think it’s even more frustrating knowing that the Quran’s interpretations rather than clear words from Allah is what prevents me from being with him.

This is merely a rant, but any input is very welcomed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNHRzuNUKNk part 1/2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xH7AkDH8lc part 2/2

u/Quranic_Islam thank you for these videos they are amazing! Timeless they are and that Muslim/newly muslim/doubtful muslim/ex-muslim should watch.

u/nopeoplethanks have you seen these videos?

I want this sub to watch these videos it might help you with your journey with Islam and with ongoing Salafist muslim online framing Islam as a horrible religion and belittling other Muslims who don't follow their way as if they are correct. Also, people here sometimes assume being progressive or going against Salafist or certain sect groups in Islam means they are questioning their faith which causes them to leave Islam which is dumb to think that.

u/Jaqurutu stated here furthermore I would even say the "bad beliefs" are not from the Quran rather cultural influence / Muslims & scholars twisting certain messages & languages of Arabic and the translation itself to fit their agenda/their sect as Hassan Farhan and Mufti Abu layth said in those videos.

Quranic_islam made posts and videos that ties with Hassan Farhan al-Maliki and Dr Jeffrey Lang's beliefs and points:

Qur'anic Islam vs Inherited Islam - 'ibada, Taqwa and Shukr

God loves me ... God loves me not - "Believers" not included

https://www.reddit.com/r/progressive_islam/comments/rpht2m/video_all_the_verses_where_god_says_he_loves_or/

A Tale of Two Mosques & Two Prophets

A sign from Numerology: reward is for actions

Is it ok to basically call yourself Muslim but be so overwhelmed by information that you just don’t even want to look at it anymore? There is so much conflicting information about hadith, the Kaaba, and rulings in general that I just throw my hands in the air. I used to feel so solid on the deen when I was following mainstream Islam but delving into things has really been confusing.

I am 55 years old and reverted in Jan. When I reverted at the beginning of the year I did so with every intention of doing five salat every single day. I had done a lot of research and understood what was required of me as a muslim. Through Ramadan my faith was very high and my salary was consistent and on time for the most part. But in the past couple of weeks I have found it exceedingly difficult to do five prayers a day. I feel bored and tired and I feel like they are interrupting me, I don't feel connected. I read the Quran every day and still ADORE reading it and feel very peaceful and connected to Allah during that time.

I have been doing 3 out of the 5 salar and trying to keep my intention pure and focused. A part of me feels it is better to focus on doing 3 prayers "well" than to just go through the motions of doing 5. And then slowly build up to 5. Maybe I jumped in too fast?

I'm also having trouble doing the prayers on time.

Any advice?

My life is falling apart right now. I am in love with an agnostic man who is in every way perfect for me. I know islam tells you that your marriage won’t be valid if that person doesn’t convert to islam. Thing is he doesn’t want to convert to islam. To him it will be fake and it will be like he is pretending all his life. I understand and respect that. I don’t know how to accept this situation because I don’t have a problem with him being agnostic. We both love each other too much. For me I don’t even wanna move on. Is islam really this strict on who you should marry? He is a good person in general and believes there might be a god but we don’t have evidence to prove it. I really need advice.

I'm somewhat new to this subreddit. I enjoy being apart of this community. I'm thankful it exists.

I think it's really hard to find a partner who has the same beliefs within our communities. How many progressive Muslims do you know?

Even if it's with the intention to keep it halal and marry as soon as possible, it's probably better to find a partner who has the same beliefs as us.

But where and how do we find them? Even Muslim dating sites are a minefield. You either get creepy men wanting one thing, or you get traditional Muslims.

I wouldn't want a partner who doesn't believe in God, and I wouldn't want a traditional Muslim partner (because I'm sure if they found out about my beliefs, they'd consider me Kafir).

Edit: I've made the subreddit! https://www.reddit.com/r/Modern_Muslim_Dating/s/25OtkUeFmS

Feel free to join us 😄. I can't work on the subreddit much at the moment as I have exams, but it's a start.

I am not sure this is allowed here, but since I know many ex-Muslims like myself lurk in this subreddit, and wish to have a space that has balanced and well thought out discussions (like many that we see here), I decided to create a subreddit for "moderate" exMuslims:

r/moderate_exmuslims

Anyone is welcome to join

Greetings all,

I'm new to this sub-reddit. I'm sincerely grateful that this community exists. You seem like open-minded, cultivated and positive people, it's been a pleasure to read your discussions. As I am a newcomer, I'm not completely familiar with the norms of this sub-reddit, so I sincerly apologize if my post is inappropriate. So I want to start with a trigger warning: this post will address sensitive topics that are susceptible to disturb or offend some Muslims. In particular, I will express some negative views about Prophet Muhammad (although I will always try to speak of him respectfully).

I am a young adult raised in the Muslim faith, and I used to be a very devout child. Over the years though, espeically in my late teenage years, I have moved away from religion. I've never identified as an atheist, but in my everyday life and belief system, nothing could distinguish me from one. But in recent years, I have came closer to my religion. I've returned to fasting during the month of Ramadan, reading the Quran, learning Surahs by heart, praying from time to time, and reconnecting with my faith. I also spend a lot of time reading academic scholarship about islam (from historians, linguists, sociologists, anthropologists...).

Let me now get to my point. While I'm happy that I'm reconnecting with my faith, I must admit that I'm struggling to reconnect with everything about Islam. I think that on a deep level, I believe that God exists, that he is One, that he is All-Merciful, that there is an afterlife, and that most of the teachings of the Quran are beautiful. I also think that Prophet Muhammad received divine revelations by God and that the Quran is the word of God (for most of it). But there is one fundamental aspect of (orthodox) Islam that I just cannot subscribe to: it's the idea that Prophet Muhammad was a perfect man with no flaws, who never made mistakes.

I'm now quite familiar with the generally established biography of the Prophet. And I think that some of his actions are just morally unjustified, especially in war contexts. I don't want to dwell to long on these actions, you know which one I have in mind if you ever read an ex-muslim rand about the Prophet. But briefly, I can mention the mass killing of Banou Qorayza men and the assassination of the poet critics of Madinah.

The goal of my post is not the have yet another debate about the actions of Prophet Muhammad, the internet is already full of them. But I want to ask a question that is fundamental to me, and that I think more Muslims should ask themselves. This question is: Does Islam require us to consider Prophet Muhammad as a perfect individual with no flaws? I feel like the debate over the life of the Prophet are often binary: either you are a Muslim and find justifications for all of his actions, or you are an Islam-hater or a bitter ex-muslim when you find that some of his actions were unjustified. I think there might be a middle ground here.

At this point, I see Prophet Muhammad as a real Prophet, who received divine revelations by God. He was sincerly inhabited by God's presence, and honestly did his best to spread the message that God revealed upon him. I do think that he was an unusually beautiful person for his period and context: highly intelligent, compassionate, and driven by a deeply-entrenched sense of justice. This explains why he was followed, and probably why God chose him. But I do not think he was perfect. Prophet Muhammad was a man, as he often tells us. Profoundly a man. He is probably the Prophet that we know most humanly. In other religions, Prophets are often celestial figures, in Christianity Jesus is even a God. Even in the Quran, former Prophets are not known in their intimacy. Whereas we know Prophet Muhammad intimately. We have a book descended by God that makes us look at the world through his eyes: when we read the Quran, we hear what he himself heard from his Lord. And from the traditions we know very intimate details of his life, even down to the trivial disputes he had with his wives. Prophet Muhammad was a man, and no man is perfect. Especially not a man who was tasked to build a new religion in the face of adversity in the harsh context of 7th century Arabia. During his prophetic career, the Prophet faced countless traumas; he dealt with wars, treacheries, people fomenting behind his back, and enormous pressure. Again, the Prophet is a man. As a man, he can feel anger, pride, resentment, violence, thirst for power and I think he certainly did in his life. Why not imagine that he was flawed like most of us? His human emotions has led us to make mistakes, like us. I even think that he might have been tempted to invent a few verses for his own benefit (I'm thinking about unusually convenient verses, like the one allowing him to marry Zayd's ex-wife). Think about it: who wouldn't be tempted? Any man in this situation would be tempted to use his position of power and prestige to nudge things in his direction.

Contrary to the classic ex-muslim/islamophobe rant, I don't think this is necessarily in opposition to islam. I still think that Muhammad was a Prophet, that he spread the message that God sent him. I know that Muslims who idealize the Prophet usually support their view with the Quran verse that describes him as "the best of examples". Well, I do think that Muhammad was indeed a wonderful example on many aspects. He founded a beautiful religion, stood up against the powerful in his native city, encouraged people to free their slaves, to share with the poor and treat all humans with respect. But a person being an example does not necessarily mean that the person is perfect, and that one should follow every single aspect of their behavior. And what the Quran also says repeatedly, is that the Prophet is just a man.

In conclusion, here's my take: why should Islam be synonymous with the perception of Prophet Muhammad as a perfect man who has no flaws? God has chosen to talk to humans through other humans. As the Quran says: if Earth was populated with angels, he would have sent an Angel prophet. God seeks to speak with us despite our imperfect nature, because he is the Most-Merciful. As the Quran repeats, had God willed it, he would have made us all perfect creatures, of perfect believers. But no. God makes us strive towards Him. He makes Himself a quest for us, but he provides signs through myriads of ways for us to reach Him. One of them is send us Prophets, humans he chooses for reasons that only He knows, who inspires to speak to our souls. But these Prophets are still human: even when inspired by the divine, they retain their limitations--including potential flaws. I think this is because God wants to speak at our level but God is Most Knowing. I think this is what makes Islam such an interesting and intimate religion, the one that feels truest. In Christianity, Jesus is a God, an ethereal being that feels so disconnected to me. But Muhammad is not that. He is a man, and I can feel his Manness, I can feel through him the experience of being an imperfect creature trying to reach out a perfect entity, despite my flaws and my sins. Why don't we celebrate Islam, and celebrate Prophet Muhammad, without seeing him as a perfect person?

That's what I wanted to share. I'm curious to know what you guys think. Did you ever think about Prophet Muhammad in these terms? Do you think it even makes sense? I'm not really sure... Is there any school of thought that supports similar views? I'm well-aware that this is a highly controversial take on the role of Muhammad in islam. And I'm sorry if I have disturb or offended some of you.

Peace be upon you and looking forward to read your answers!

Wasn't quite sure what to title this, and I hope my question is worded in an understandable way. I'm a non-religious person who spent many years waffling between being anti-religious or "trying on" different religions to see if I could find one I liked. A few years ago I started dating a Muslim man (yes, I know, haram. Please hold your commentary on that) and I've obviously been learning about Islam. I freely admit to having pre-conceived biases that I'm working through, but my boyfriend has been awesome about answering questions, and I've had some lovely conversations with people in Facebook groups. All of the Muslims I've met have been so incredibly kind and welcoming (except the one woman who looked horrified that I didn't have kids, LOL) and have really helped me overcome some of my biases, especially the hijabis as I'd never truly met hijabis before him and it's been VERY eye-opening to see how confident and outgoing and "normal" they are.

​

Anyway, I've been reading The Clear Quran and other books that are focused on education about Islam, especially recently feminism in Islam. I really like the faith, but struggle with some aspects of it. Many of the same aspects that I've struggled with in regards to other religions. I see a lot of people in here who seem to feel that even if you don't agree with all of it, you can still be a Muslim, even a good one. Which is lovely. Definitely NOT a sentiment shared in some of the other subs that I've ended up leaving due to the militant "it's this way or you're burning in Jahnnam for ever and ever."

​

So I guess my question is, if it's okay to "pick and choose" (for lack of a better term) the aspects of the faith that make me very uncomfortable, why am I contemplating Islam so hard vs other religions that I could also do the same with? Does that make sense? I guess if I converted, I've no doubt my family would be appalled and ask why, if I don't believe in all of it. And that's a valid question. I could do the same thing with Christianity and just pick & choose to avoid the aspects I dislike. So why Islam? Ugh, I feel like I'm not explaining myself well. Does anybody understand what I'm trying so poorly to say? LOL

It’s almost unanimously agreed that if Allah ﷻ has covered a person’s sin for him, it is haram to boast of it to others. The hadith are very clear that a Muslim should always conceal their sin, but how far does that go?

If your parents ask you outright “have you done drugs?” you would be lying if you didn’t admit it. Which sin is greater, the lie or the uncovering of the sin?

What about lying by omission? Does your spouse have the right to know about all of the sins you may have committed in the past, major or minor? Is it preserving your Islam to omit certain parts of your life story, or is it an injustice to the spouse?