Personal Questions I Have Regarding Islam

"...At that time he (the Holy Prophet) said: 'I bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am His messenger. The bondsman (of Allah) who would meet Allah without entertaining any doubt about these (two fundamentals) would enter heaven.'" (Sahih Muslim Bk.1 Ch.11 No.41)

Lets be honest. We all have questions about our own religion that may trouble us, bug us, maybe even give us doubt. Unless we have acquired yaqin, or certainty, of our religion, we all have some sort of doubt, or else why wouldn’t we have complete certainty? See, I don’t believe that you only need to have faith in a religion – belief necessitates conviction. We have to be fully convicted that our religion is true in order to be a complete believer. The best way to overcome your questions is to ask them, and look for answers. Therefore, I pose my own personal questions regarding Islam that may cause me trouble. Of course, not every single question here gives me doubt – sometimes you have to accept that you cannot understand the Mind of God Almighty. He has His own plan; we are just human. However, some questions I think do have an answer, and if anyone has any answers, please feel free to comment them, or e-mail them to me at:

farhan_m_rashid@hotmail.com

Also, to all my non-Muslim friends who I am sure would love to read these, please keep in mind that even with these questions, I have quite convinced of the Truth of Islam. The only other religion that I have ever really considered is (Protestant) Christianity (since it is the only other major religion that teaches that if you aren’t a Christian, you will be in Hell for all eternity), and it has proven itself false time and time again. Instead, remember that these questions are just the missing pieces to an otherwise pretty complete puzzle. Don’t think you can go ask these questions to Muslims and try to cause doubt in their hearts – if they are well-educated in Islam, it won’t work. This isn’t a gold mine or treasure trove for missionaries or whatever – so don’t cheapen it and use it like one.  Instead this page is probably is personal and intimate as it gets for me, since it deals with questions and concerns I have regarding my paradigm of life and the Universe – so I hope everyone appreciates the candor as well as the information. If I ever find answers, I shall post them on here. Thank you all, and enjoy.

1. If Allah (SWT) knows when he creates a person that he/she will end up in Hell, why did Allah (SWT) bother to create that person in the first place? Would it not be a mercy to not create that individual rather than creating the individual destined for an eternity of Hellfire?
2. Why are the majority of Muslim countries poor, third-world, backwards, etc.
3. Are Shi’a considered Muslim?
4. How can Iblis, who knows very well the Reality of God and His Blessings and Wrath, not repent and beg for His Mercy?
5. Will humans be prone to sin in Paradise? If not, then why did Adam (AS) and Eve sin in Paradise? If so, then what will be the consequences of sinning in Paradise?
6. What do Muslims make out of dreams and visions that people get of Jesus Christ persuading them to become Christian? How about people who get healed by Christian faith healers? What about the miracles of any other religion, such as the Hindus?
7. Will people who do good but are non-Muslim be rewarded for their deeds – people like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., or William Wilberforce?
8. If Jesus (AS) never claimed to be God Almighty, then why did the Jews attempt to have him crucified?
9. Who has more virtue, the non-Muslim who after long and honest research somehow came to the conclusion that Islam is not the right religion, or a Muslim who was born as a Muslim and never honestly chose to be a Muslim of his/her own free will?

- Farhan R.