Why am I Muslim?

Being a Muslim means to follow the religion of Islam. The meaning of Islam is true submission. We have to surrender to Allah and His Commands to live a good life while we are alive in the world and in the Hereafter in Heaven.

I am Muslim for many reasons. Most important is that I believe that Allah is my Creator and the Quran is proof of His existence. Also, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the greatest person in history. I am Muslim, because through Islam he did what no one else in history was able to do. He was able to change the world in just 23 years!

Truly, we can say that we are Muslims, when we have Basera (a full understanding of why we are Muslims). We should look at the Quran, the Sunnah (the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad as related by his closest companions) and the life that we live to see how we fit into this world and what our responsibilities are.

Firstly, the Quran is the most authentic book of guidance as Allah says:

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.” 
(The Noble Quran 15:9)

 The Quran cannot be changed, this is proved by the fact that we can pick up a copy from hundreds of years ago and it will be the same. Hamza Yusuf, in his lecture series called “The Foundations of Islam”, related a story, that a long time ago, a Jewish man came to a Rabbi and wrote the Torah with a few very slight mistakes, to his surprise, the Rabbi approved it as being correct. Then he took the Bible and he changed a few words and he gave it to some Christian Monks, and they also approved it. Finally, he took the Quran and made some slight changes, as he did with the other books, but when he gave it to the Muslims to review, they returned it to him saying that there were mistakes and that he has to burn this Quran. How was this? How can this be explained? Well, the answer is simple. The Quran has never been changed in it’s native Arabic. It is exactly like it was when it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and has been memorized by Muslims throughout the ages in every generation all over the world. If there were mistakes or things changed, the Muslims would know this right away, because there haven’t ever been any revisions or additions to the authentic text in Arabic. This is how Allah protects His book.

As Muslims, we believe Allah is our Master. We do not worship idols (that can break or made by the hands of man) or people like Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), because he was a human being of flesh and blood, God has to be Greater than His creation.

“That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.” (The Noble Quran 31:30)

Personally, for me Islam gives me guidance and helps me do the right things. Sometimes, I don’t know what to do or what to say in difficult situations, but the Quran has the answers to all my problems and answers to all my questions. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) went through so much and we can read about them and learn from their experiences, so that we can also be strong and act right.

My parents and family did not follow Islam properly before. Now that we are trying to follow Islam and spend time gaining knowledge, we have become better and have a good relationship with each other. This makes me love Allah and Islam even more!

Islam teaches us to make our life easy and simple. Islam is a complete way of life.

Islam teaches us what is:

1.Halal (permissible)

2.Haram (not permissible)

These instructions are clear in the Quran and example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We are commanded on what we should and should not eat, how we should dress, how we should act and speak, even on how we should worship. Allah does not leave any room for us to be confused. He is very clear. The more that my family and I have thought about these commands, the more we have come to understand them and their reasons.

For example, we are forbidden from eating Pork, so it is haram. We know that the reason for this is because this animal is dirty and eating it can make us sick. The animals made halal for us to eat, such as chicken, beef or mutton are healthy and clean animals, but even when we eat them we have to follow special steps that start from caring and loving the animal since it is a baby. We have to give it a good life and make sure that it is healthy and happy. When we sacrifice it, it should be quick with a very sharp blade, with the words “Bismillah” (in the Name of Allah) and “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest) and not in front of other animals (this could scare them). We also have to make sure the blood is drained and the animal is cleaned properly in a clean environment. See how many rules? There are actually many more than this, but I wanted to give an idea of what I mean when I say that we have a complete way of life in Islam. This is because Muslims are close to nature and we are commanded to respect all of Allah’s creation from the heavens to the earth, big and small.

Many other commands of Islam are now even being practiced by non-Muslims because they see the amazing benefits of them, like fasting, Hijamah (cupping), wearing modest clothing and even hygienic practices like washing your hands before every meal and washing your private parts after using the restroom.

I have learned that when we want to learn the proper way of Islam, we should look to the religion itself, not the people who follow it. This is because, like most religions, sadly many of the Muslims have gone far from the path of Allah. They are so many Muslims today, but most are not following the Quran and the way of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They do whatever they want to do and try to make other people believe it is Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, when speaking about a time when the world would be in great distress, especially Muslims (like today):

“Rather, on that day you will be many, but you will be like foam, like the foam on the river. And Allah will remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and will throw wahn (weakness) into your hearts.” Someone said: “O Messenger of Allah! What is wahn?” He said: “Love of the world and the hatred for death.” Sahih: Related by Abu Dawud (no. 4297)

Islam does not leave anything out. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in his last sermon:

“I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray.”

As Muslims, if we want to follow the true path of Islam, then we have to take the Prophet Muhammad’s advice. As non-Muslims, if any one wants to know what Islam is really about, they should do the same.

Islam gives me guidance, help when I need it, support and above all I feel the love of Allah for His creation through His words in the Quran and His desire to see us happy in this world and to see us in Jannah (Heaven). Allah loves us more than anyone and I love Him too, that is why I don’t want to displease Him and that is why I am Muslim. I want to make Him happy with me by following Him and for me Islam is the way to do this.

That is why I invite you to look deeper at Islam and study the Quran. If you look at it with an open heart and mind, I know that you will be surprised with what you find!

You can also look at my sister’s article:  Why Am I Muslim? by Ivanna Imran.