 | Dr. Nabil Seyam is director of the Board of Administration of the Islamic Society of Wichita and Co-Founder of the Annoor Islamic School. He was the recipient of the Leader of the Year in 2002 in Wichita and most recently was the recipient of the Community Servant Award by the University United Methodist Church in 2003. Dr. Seyam was selected for the Community Servant Award because of his active role in peace-building and multiculturalism throughout Kansas. He is an adjunct instructor for Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University. He is married and has six children. He can be reached at (316) 630-9222 , by e-mail at nabil@seyam.org, or visit his website at www.seyam.org |
Religion
2004-09-01 11:07:00
Something is missing... but we don’t want to be pressured
: My husband and I are in are mid 30s. We have two children. Neither of us have ever been baptized nor the children. We feel like something is missing from our lives but we're not sure.We feel no matter who we talk to, he or she will proclaim that his or her religion or church is the best one for us. We read the Q & A Times each month and we would very much like to read your comments on our situation.
ANSWER:Frequently, I often visit many religious communities and attend their religious teachings. A common statement always heard is that "our way is the only way, and our way is the only way to paradise."This is not a bias statement, but an expression of self satisfaction of a way of life. The question is valuable and we all seek the truth or the right path that leads to heaven. The world is full of religions, if we would say thousands, we would not be exaggerating. So, which one is the true religion; and are they all true and/or the same? If you would ask any Clergy about the authenticity of other religions, most if they were candid enough would say, "Salvation can be achieved only through our faith." Other clergy may not be candid enough and give you an answer that contradicts his/her preaching, "we leave that matter to God, He is the judge."Since I am representing the Islamic faith I would state the Islamic perspective here.Islam views Judaism and Christianity as monotheistic religions, like Islam "believing in one God." Therefore if any would like to search for the right path, he/she must begin on the right road. There are more similarities among these three religions than many may think. Therefore, it is a great asset to remove bias from our hearts and start reading and investigating these religions. Read the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an from cover to cover. Attend religious meetings and sermons. Visit their communities and associate with their people and become an imminent friend with them all. Above all that, pray to the one God, to guide you to the right path that leads to heaven. Prophet Mohammad, said, "The Jews will be divided into seventy groups, the Christians will be divided into seventy one groups, and the Muslims will be divided into seventy two groups, all of these groups in hellfire except for one." The numbers here mean multi denominations.Our father and Prophet Abraham, thought the sun was His God, the moon was His God, and the stars were His God. Then he directed his prayers to God to guide him to the right way. In Islam there is no compulsion. Daily, we receive individuals who seek knowledge about Islam. Many of these individuals read authentic Islamic literatures and/or seek information about Islam via the Internet. For information or literatures about Islam please call the Islamic Society of Wichita at (316) 682 5479.
