What is the meaning of questioning the deen?

[SultanOrder]

I wonder sometimes about matters of religion. Things that might be superficial and things that are more fundamental, and how that affects one own faith. I take for examples those who have questioned too far and lost it altogether, and then those neither question nor wonder why and have fallen pray to the misguided. Then, looking at ones own time, many new matters shall be brought up, and fundamental questions shall be viewed with new lenses. Is faith nearing it's end, shall there be a time where no man shall believe, because of the changes of the world?

Simpler yet, it is the more simple things that makes one wonder. The role of angels, the never ending flames, the beings invisible to ones naked eyes, and the assumptions of the past. If people disregard those old views, does the essence of Islam remain the same?

[Alphanumeric]

Hard to follow you.

Yes, there will be a time no man will be believe.
If you disregard any fundamental tenet, Islam is no longer Islam.

[SultanOrder]

The times are changing my friend, and more questions shall be asked.

[Alphanumeric]

Sometimes, one is forced to reexamine things.

[metamorphosis]

Questions concerning religion is encouraged but excessive rhetorical questions are not good and can lead you to dambi. As long as you know where to draw your lines, then you should be fine.

[Alphanumeric]

How do you know where to draw the line?

[Shirib]

I think questioning and having questions is different

[metamorphosis]

Sometimes you do and other time you dont. For example, asking questions concerning gods origins are clear indicators that you ought to stop those types of question.

[Alphanumeric]

I think questioning and having questions is different

How would you differentiate?

[Keyblade]

I think questioning and having questions is different

How would you differentiate?

Think he means questioning = doubting whereas asking questions is more like seeking clarification.

[Shirib]

Alpha,

Like keyblade said questioning is doubting the diin as if it were not true. Having questions is seeking clarification and looking for truth.

Ilaah says that he guides who he wants and doesnt guide others. If one goes in seeking truth, he will be guided and if he seeks to find false hood he will surely be misguided.

In my heart of hearts ive always accepted that Islam is perfect in every aspect and if i couldnt understand something it was due to my follies and not my diins.

[Hyperactive]

i always question and not cause i doubt but to understand or make it clear in my mind and also to ease your heart and reassure, as prophet ibrahim asked Allah in surat baqara, 260.

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ"
When Abraham said: "Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, " He replied: "Have you no faith?" He said "Yes, but just to reassure my heart." Allah said, "Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise."

it should start as early age and what many muslim families failed is to teach their kids their values and believed very well, not to just follow them but also equip them to research and learn how to defend their believes and values with their peers and society too. peer pressure is when one doesnt know why he or she believe/ what they believe. why they have different values and why they have to hold into it!!

and more important to say when they asked about things about their fundamental believes" ooh i dont know, i never thought about why and how, i will learn it myself.."

you cannot protect your kids all their lives, they will meet others who have different values and believes that challenge them!

things changing. i remember when i was growing up worse thing was sattelate tv. all mosques and lecturers talking about how to protect your family from evil satellite dish...etc. instead educating their kids and supervising them... was banned from homes. now we have internet, in every room. kids as young as 5 and 6 using internet in their own rooms on their own beds late nights!!

it's challenges parents to keep it up and sheikhs/islamic lecturers to also keep in mind!

[Alphanumeric]

^Agreed. Teaching rarely occurs in the home. Somalis seem to do horribly with this. We're more focused on screaming instructions rather than actually educating our kids. I bet most parents wouldn't be able to answer important questions. Kids who are never actually taught to learn the deen end up having questions they can't answer. Ultimately they leave the religion. This is more widespread than most might think.

[Hyperactive]

Alpha, im guessing it's about the whole cultural things. it's the way parents or older generation were raised(never question in deen) things or you're bad/you go to naar etc mentality. we make them memorize quran and ahadeeth , without asking them " do you have something you dont understand, question..etc"

ive been observing my siblings recent years. since im elder, i have some sort of authority over them, to them im second to mom and dad. kids in very early age know inside what is fair an unfair, or they have feelings about it. they may not express most of time. i know my sister, asked once, when we were talking about story of prophets and anbiya'a. she asked : why all prophets are men? if they were so great, patient, Allah chose them, there was no good women Allah to choose from? rest of s who were elder, were looking at her like "shut up we want papa to keep telling us the story!"

my dad stopped and took length to reason way that wouldnt confuse her but at the same time make her statisfied and told her " you will grow and learn more and everything will make more sense to you , once you gain more knowledge" honest, i was older and i didnt know and i wasnt even questioning. i learned new thing that never knew out there.

little things like that it needed. in every thing not only in deen. even daily life and consuming life styles we cough in. transparents in everything. parents act like they are immune from mistake, sheikhs/teacherss the same these days . take what im telling you, understandable or not!!

[Alphanumeric]

hyper, I understood you completely

I really don't know if I could be a parent. The responsibility is immense. Most parents themselves don't know enough about the deen to answer questions their children have, and I don't know if I could put myself in that position. Your sister asked a valid question that a lot of Muslims shy away from.

Personally speaking, questions I have don't really have answers to them. To that regard, no amount of teaching will do the trick, I think.