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Peace

As many of you already know, I am struggling to keep a roof over my head.

I am about to become homeless as I already went to the court hearing over rent arrears. Before you judge me just know that I did what I could to try and prevent it but it happened anyway.

Common stereotypes of homeless people- they drink, they do drugs, they're lazy- I do not fit these stereotypes. I've never drank alcohol in my lifetime, I don't do drugs and I've continuously job searched and been ignored by most job applications or rejected after having job interviews. My family let me down because our rent was high and they expected me to pay the rent for the whole household on my own. As you can see, it has been a sad and unfair situation.

I've reached out to my council and I am still trying to get help like temporary accommodation from them but it's hard or almost impossible to get a council house when you're in rent arrears especially if you're not a British citizen so I don't know what will happen. I feel scared especially since I'm a woman and it's winter...

Someone suggested I try to get help from a Sunni mosque or charity since they have the biggest charities amongst Muslims. My question is, would it be wrong for a Qur'an alone Muslim to seek help be it accommodation or zakaat charity from a Sunni mosque?

Peace

I'm having this issue at work where there just so happens to be a lot of Sunni men. When people ask if I'm Muslim since it naturally comes up or ask if I'm Christian etc. I obv say that I'm a Muslim. But many Muslim men behave in a controlling way. Some of them will do things like tell me to stop talking to men I like talking to even though we are allowed to talk as long as we're working and it's not as if I'm flirting. Others seem to think I'm a 'bad Muslim' because I don't wear the hijab. They don't say it but you can tell from their attitude.

I know a lot of men regardless of their religion or race (not all men) behave like this towards women in general but I feel like because I'm Muslim they think they can particularly act controlling towards me. Not all of them but the ones that also seem cultural tend to behave this way in particular. It also seems to irritate them if I talk to non-Muslim male colleagues although I still do it anyway. On the other hand some Sunni men behave like normal human beings so I'm not generalising.

Should I just pretend to be agnostic if I get a new job in the future? But that might not work that well since I do believe in ritual salah and Ramadan. They'll know that I'm fasting and although I don't currently pray at work, I do want to in the future to avoid missing prayers.

P.s. Anyone else had similar problems?

Peace

From a Quranic perspective, are the oppressed people always the good people? I mean not always but mostly? The evil people who are the oppressors tend to get punished through means other than oppression i.e. natural disasters.

Peace

I've never understood this? I guess some of you will say that God's throne could be metaphorical but if that is true, present some evidence to back up your point.

Peace

does that mean you are seeing their real soul in the spiritual world? I think that's what I used to believe when I was Sunni.

Peace

Sahih International: And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration."

Pickthall: So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him.

Yusuf Ali: "When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him."

Shakir: So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down making obeisance to him.

Muhammad Sarwar: When it is properly shaped and I have blown My Spirit into it, you should then bow down in prostration".

Mohsin Khan: "So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him (Adam) the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him."

Arberry: When I have shaped him, and breathed My spirit in him, fall you down, bowing before him!'


Notice 'created' is in brackets. So, does that mean Allah separated part of His own spirit/ soul to create man and that part of His spirit is no longer Him? Why would it say 'my spirit' instead of simply 'of the spirit I have created'? I know Mohsin Khan translated it differently but most of them state 'my spirit'.

Peace

Ever since I turned to the Qur'an alone, I've felt lonelier than before. It just feels like, most people on earth are not like me. How do you make friends without letting religious differences get in the way, especially with traditional Muslims? I tend to hide my Qur'an alone belief from most Sunnis when I happen to make a Sunni friend. But it feels lonely because they don't know who I am and I feel like an imposter.

You could just tell me to make friends with non-Muslims and people who you have stuff in common with but the issue is, I'm open to that however the people who tend to be the friendliest to me are south Asian people because I look like them and white people tend to keep their distance even though I'm a polite and kind person. It's been like this for as long as I can remember however I used to wear hijab but even without hijab, it's the same story. Indians do befriend me sometimes but it's Indian men, not women and I wish I had female friends because male friendship is complicated.

Could you share your experiences with friendship after you stopped believing in hadith? I'd love to hear from you...

Peace

Sometimes we make stupid, embarrassing or even evil mistakes that we regret and wish to forget, but our subconscious keeps reminding us. So you repent to God and don't know if God's forgiven you but it keeps bothering you. Should you forgive yourself at this point?

Peace

How can we see work from a Quranic perspective? Do we see it as doing good deeds for God as opposed to simply working to make money? But at the same time, we do also work to make money. But can this difference in intent make all the difference in making your life more meaningful and increasing motivation? Or is this way of thinking wrong?

If we look at the following verses:

18:103
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ "Shall we inform you of who will be the biggest losers of deeds?
18:104
They are those whose efforts are in vain in this worldly life, while they think they are doing good!"
18:105
It is they who reject the signs of their Lord and their meeting with Him, rendering their deeds void, so We will not give their deeds any weight on Judgment Day.

I suppose these verses talk about disbelievers who work hard in their worldly life only whilst forgetting to work on themselves spiritually. There are other verses talking about doing good works which obviously also means pursue a job/ career for the betterment of humanity or at least avoiding jobs/ careers that are not advancing or helping humanity:

45:30
Then, as for those who believed and did righteous good deeds, their Lord will admit them to His Mercy. That will be the evident success.

If anyone has more to share on how to see work from Quranic perspective, I'd love to hear from you...

Peace

Are there any verses in the Qur'an that make it wrong for women to shake hands with men?

Peace

...who financially abuses you?

Is it a form of oppression Quranically speaking? Do I have to fight against them even if it means taking them to court? Or leaving them as soon as I can? Please don't judge as my situation is very complex and do not take the 'if you're homeless just buy a home' approach because it's not as simple as that.

Peace

Palestine has been unjustly occupied and oppressed by Israel for decades. However, we must condemn Hamas for killing innocent civilians but keep the big picture in mind and continue to condemn the Israeli terrorist state as well.

What would be the Qur'an alone solution for this conflict? Why should Palestine just give up and give the thieves what they want?

Peace

Is there anything in the Qur'an that talks about lookism?

I think this is a common problem; every female probably feels it to a certain extent in all areas of life i.e. professional and personal. What is the smartest way to handle this issue? Look your best, lose weight, wear makeup etc. so that you are not bullied or held back in both your personal and professional life? Even then, some people will still find certain people unattractive and mistreat them after they've put in full effort. But there must be a way around it because other females who do not fit into conventional beauty standards seem to overcome lookism and still manage to become successful professionally and personally. But it seems like it takes longer or is harder for less beautiful women to become successful. However, I do realise that looks aren't everything and factors such as intelligence, EQ, connections, work ethic etc. also come into play. But I definitely think there is a looks bias in the workplace.

You could say personality and confidence matter most (which is true) but we live in a shallow world where certain people will try to hold you back in your job or career and even personal life because they look down on your appearance regardless of how good, kind or nice your personality may be. So morally yes our goodness and character matter most. But practically, we are trying to live and survive in a world full of shallow people who are often in positions of power and authority. On the other hand, if you're seen as prettier or too pretty, jealous people might try to hold you back. But even though this is a disadvantage for attractive females, men are often the people who are in positions of authority and I personally sense that they tend to make it harder for women they don't find attractive. Perhaps it's just in my head but I doubt it because of a gut instinct. To further complicate things, perhaps certain men will also make it harder for women they are attracted to if they sense that they do not like them back. 

Keep in mind that this post isn't about pleasing men. Why would I want to please men I'm not interested in? It's about avoiding discrimination based on looks.

If you've had similar problems and know what I'm talking about, how are you handling it?

Peace

'But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.' 4:65

The above verse seems to be in context of war when the prophet was alive. If the Qur'an is meant for all times, why are there verses like this if this verse refers to Muhammed and his companions when he was alive?

Peace

So because I can't understand Arabic, I am a bit confused. Can or do all Arabic words have multiple meanings? Or just some and not others? Does this differ depending on if it's modern Arabic, classical or Quranic Arabic?