How hard do you have to pray....

[Mystic]

I just have to say, Mystic Knight, you seem like a nice guy.
I've always thought that. :-)
As opposed to Drich, who seems like a nasty individual and probably would be whether he was a believer or not.

Thanks for your kind words. 

I think one of the greatest things that happened to me which I see as a grace from God, is that I became non-Muslim for a period. The thing is I didn't really have faith in Islam until I become mentally ill, then it was irrational type belief that was somewhat based on rational perspective but over all lacked critical thinking.

I think the period when I was a Deist made me realize something about myself, other humans, and God.  I think disbelief in religion can be good, because, it makes you leave most of what is ugly even though you may leave a lot of good from religion.

That said, I think if Drich became non-religious believing in God, it would do him a lot of good.  I think "Islam" can be a veil and be an evil idol worshipped aside from God. I think perhaps I was more of that type of Muslim before my Deism. I think "Christianity" or any religion can be a veil from God and idol worshipped aside from God.

The Quran is a very unusual book. It has many faces and many ugly faces as that. To find it's true beauty requires reflection, and interpreting verses with one another.

That said, the holy chosen guides talked about how despite it being written in a way that no one can misunderstand, a Mustathaaf, in which God will most likely pardon them, also includes those who can't recite the Surahs as ought to be recited.

They taught a forbearing attitude instead of this perspective that if someone read Quran and disbelieved they are definitely the disbelievers in God's proofs and guidance that has come to them, they taught the proof of it and it's true face may not have reached them.

And with the bad translations out there, I really don't blame people from not seeing the over all argument and message of Quran.

And I don't think I would of returned to Islam if this perspective didn't exist. I can't handle the thought of so many Atheists or non-religious people that I know, to be good, to be evil or treat them as people who disbelieved in clear proofs the same way Pharaoh disbelieved in clear proofs.

There is a saying by Shia Mystics that most people are good looking, neither are they super good looking neither are they ugly, but rather most are between those two extremes and are good enough looking, the same is true of the inward state of humanity, most are neither evil or utmost sincere seekers of truth, but rather most are in middle, they don't seek it with utmost strength but neither would they deny it where they too realize it in their souls.

This perspective is essential in how I deal with people of various views, Atheist, Theist, or of different religions.

Sometimes I do get angry at Sunnis not seeing the family of Mohammad in Quran and Sunnah, but then, I do calm down and realize, they too probably are mustathafeen.

So beliefs I think are important. Which is why I'm glad I went through the Deism stage of my life which opened me up to realize essential verses and ahadith that I haven't thought too much about.