Aint' this the truth.

"I didn’t come to Islam because I felt I needed to be a part of something. I could have joined a gang or the local rotary club if I wanted “to belong”. I converted because I loved the religion, full stop. It is why I am still a Muslim DESPITE the complete dysfunction of most of the Muslim communities here in the USA and most of the Muslim countries around world."

This is what I get when I'm on the internet too much. I get lots of crazy Muslims screaming about haram, assuming the worst and condemning each other to hell.

I feel like, because of God's dual characteristics in the Abrahamic religions, people rarely take the middle road (as is advised in the Qur'an).

The Qur'an says over and over: This is a good tiding for believers (yay! forgiveness! mercy! love! Paradise! no regret! no fear!) and a warning for unbelievers (straighten up! look at history! look at your future! Scalding water! Iron collars!).

The thing is? "Believers", especially those who are somewhat deficient in developing their own sense mercy, flexibility and patience with humanity and, often, those who are younger get on the HELLFIRES! bandwagon. This isn't surprising-- this is pretty universal amongst all religions-- someone needs to fixate on the worst thing that could happen and in fixating they can only measure things by that standard. If they were measuring themselves? Fine. But they don't. They measure others and insist upon their narrow interpretation of the Qur'an applying to others.

Then they say "Well! I bet this [scholar who no one really knows the credentials of] knows more about deen than YOU!!"

Even when someone says "Listen, I've heard that argument I'm not interested. Please leave me in peace." The hellfire people insist on calling you out as a sinner and insist that you're flaunting sin by ignoring them. This also isn't something new. This is how internet people have been since the dawn of the internet. There are Muslim trolls who masquerade as brothers and there are special snowflakes that masquerade as sisters. If you were humming a commercial jingle on your way to prayers, I highly doubt that anyone would run up to you and exclaim HARAM!! Add insecurity in oneself to anonymity and you get internet trolls-- people who HAVE to be right, even when the field is wide open for difference.

A sister I knew a long time ago always implored people, before making reference to something mildly controversial, to remember that someone else's religion is between them and Allah. And if you feel overwhelmed with a need to comment on another person's life? Do so as gently as the Prophet would have.

As for me? I still live by the Prophet's, sallalahu alayhim wasalam, words:


I came to the messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said: You have come to ask about righteousness? I said: Yes. He said: Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart feels tranquil, and wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and moves to and fro in the breast even though people again and again have given you their legal opinion in its favour.


No one else has access to be best diviner of good from bad for me that I do-- my heart. Allah has uniquely equipped me to make choices for me.