Dear
brother/sister in Islaam,
As-salaamu
'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
I am
very happy for you that you have accepted Islaam! May Allaah
increase you in all good things, and may He assist you in learning
your Religion and fulfilling your duties, and may He make you
from the strongest of the believers in Him. [Aameen]
I hope
that you are doing your best to offer your prayers in congregation
in the masjid, and I hope that Allaah has blessed you to have
adherents to the Sunnah in your location. It is by praying with
them and mixing with them that you will come to see how the
guidance of Allaah is to be implemented.
In the
absence of Muslims who can teach you and guide you to more knowledgeable
people, the internet can be a good source of Islaamic information
if you keep to the sites that promote the proper understanding
of Islaam, the way of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) and his Companions (may Allaah be pleased
with them all).
IMPORTANT
NOTE
Traditionally,
your teacher would teach you issues related to faith and belief
before moving on to other issues. With the internet, you do
not have a teacher. You are the one who chooses what to learn.
Therefore I strongly urge you to focus on articles on the following
topics for now:
'aqeedah
/ belief
eemaan
/ faith
manhaj
/ methodology
ikhlaas
/ sincerity
khushoo'
/ submissiveness
tazkiyah
/ purification of the soul
Here
at Bakkah.net there are a number of short articles on these
topics that I hope you will find beneficial. Here are some
examples that you should find very helpful:
Lessons
From the Noble Qur'aan
The
Characteristics of the True Believer
And
I don't surf the web much myself, but I would also recommend
the following articles from websites that I feel are trustworthy
sources of proper Islaamic information:
The
Three Fundamentals (EL)
Shaykh Al-Islaami Muhammad ibn 'Abdil-Wahhaab
The
Effects of Sins (EL)
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim
An
Introduction to the Foundations of Islaam (EL)
Shaykh Ibn Al-'Uthaymeen
You
may also want to read about fiqh issues related to
your basic duties, like articles about prayer or fasting,
so that your basic acts of worship are fulfilled properly.
I would recommend the following:
Worshipping
Allaah Out of Love, Fear, and Hope (EL)
Khushoo'
and Beautification of the Prayer (EL)
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim
Fasting
in a Nutshell (EL)
If you
come accross articles that you do not understand, then do
not feel that you must understand them now. Simply leave them
for later, and return your focus to the topics mentioned.
There is so much to learn about Islaam and there is no need
to be hasty.
After
getting a firm grasp on these basic issues, then you may move
on to other topics of interest. By taking this approach, you
will remain firm in Islaam, as newer issues open up to you in
time, you will understand them in their proper context, in
shaa' Allaah.
You
may come across some unfamiliar 'Arabic terms here at Bakkah.net
and elsewhere. They are usually in italic, like the phrase:
in shaa' Allaah. You can find them along with their meanings
in a helpful glossary right here on Bakkah.net:
(CLICK
HERE to go to the Glossary)
I hope
that this advice has helped you. If there is anything I can
do for you, then feel free to send
me an e-mail.
May
Allaah grant us firmness in His Religion, knowledge, and conviction.
[Aameen]
Your
brother in Islaam,
Abul-'Abbaas
Webmaster
This
article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
