First steps toward learning prayer

Assalamu alaikum,


I will put up some links to learning to pray videos. But not right now.


Here are my first steps to breaking prayer into manageable, unintimidating bits.


1. Become aware of the time. Personally, I lose track of time easily. Salaat is supposed to be done 5 times a day. It is best to pray on time. Find a list of prayer times. One source is http://www.islamicfinder.org There are also programs you can put on the computer or your cell phone to remind you of the time. So an important step is to get used to keeping track of the time.


2. Learn the terms related to prayer - . You can skip that if you have sources that you already understand. There are some sources that use the Arabic terms when teaching you, but that's not very helpful when you don't know what they mean or you aren't used to them. It's an unnecessary barrier to learning.


3. Clarify the order of parts cleaned when making wudu.


4. Get used to making wudu, even if I don't follow it up with prayer. Getting wet like that 5 times a day is something that takes me some getting used to. At first I take time to get the water a good temperature. Later when, when a habit has been formed, then we'll see about not being so picky about temperature.

Nora

Assalamu alaikum - Introduction

Bismillah...

Assalamu alaikum!

Call me Nora.

I converted/reverted to Islam in 2006 from baptist Christianity. Before, I wasn't especially practicing, not consciously anyhow. I didn't drink alcohol, go to clubs, wear skimpy clothing, or sleep around. I was quiet. Still am. In 2005, four of my coworkers were muslims and we had a good amount of muslim students as well. This was the first time I had contact with any muslims. Yes, I made it through 9/11 and college without really noticing. Maybe I noticed some people looked different or dressed differently, maybe I was even a little uncomfortable being near them. Anyway, I didn't know anything about Islam. I didn't hear enough about it to form any real negative opinions. All I knew was they had different beliefs than what I grew up with, and I wanted to avoid stepping on any toes, make them more comfortable. That's why I started researching Islam.

I was religiously rather ignorant. I didn't put much thought in it, but it was like there was only many forms of the same religion. I just didn't have enough exposure to enough people to know much beyond what I was directly exposed to. I had a Mormon friend in high school, but that sounded like just another type of Christianity. I had a classmate that I realize now was muslim, but she didn't cover her hair and I didn't know her well enough to learn about any differences between us at the time. Her family was from Pakistan, but she didn't have an accent. My college was affiliated with Christianity, I have no idea if anyone there had any other religion. I was part of the Christian student organization there for a while. I did a little light research about religions at one point, but the others that I looked at didn't resonate. Didn't seem right, or better. I never considered there not being a God.

I didn't research other faiths in depth. I wasn't that kind of religious seeker. I hadn't felt any doubt about Christianity. I didn't read the whole qur'an before I converted. I didn't know about youtube at first, either. I found a side-by-site comparison of Islam and Christianity and I did some research about some things. There are many similarities. I read from books in the library and I took a college Intro to Islam classes. I didn't talk to anyone about it because I was too shy. Even now I am not a very outgoing person. I did enough research to be convinced. One night I just decided it was time.

I took a shower and said my shahada with no one to hear me but my cat.

I haven't been a stellar Muslimah. Each year I am better than the one before and insha'allah I will continue to get better and my efforts will be excepted.

In this blog I will track my learning. Some is review, some is new learning. This is my 6th year as a muslimah, but there is still a lot to know. Ramadan isn't far away, either.

:)