Religion & Spirituality Community Check-in: September 1st-7th

@MeaningfulSilence ooh the first check in! I love it!

How have you been lately?

I have been doing well thank you! I have been really focusing on self care recently and finding some new hobbies to do in my spare time!

Is the connection and appreciation of nature something that is part of your Faith? If so, how would you describe it?

I would say partly yes! Sometimes I like to sit outside and just listen to the birds etc. It can be calming. I haven't been able to do that recently though because its been too hot! I am definitely looking forward to Fall/Autumn so that I can sit outside again 🙂

How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments?

My faith can be very grounding and help me realize that I do have a purpose!

What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path?

I have only been on this faith journey for the last 8 ish years. Its been a rocky one but it has provided a lot of answers to trauma that I experienced etc

@MeaningfulSilence

I am doing pretty good !

I love all of Gods work which is creating all of the beautiful flowers, trees, just everything ! I look around in amazement and know HE made such a beautiful world but sadly we human beings have really messed it up.

My Faith gets me through the roughest times in my life. I have always believed in God and his son Jesus and never once questioned it all .

I know when I am gone I am gonna be in Heaven and it is going to be amazing.

When I talk with The Lord I know He is listening and loves me like no others..

He Loves US all and wants Us to live a Beautiful life and know He is with Us always and He is not the one at fault for our sins and the bad things that happen.

Prayers, Tye 💗

Great questions!

💡How have you been lately?
-pretty good! i'm glad it is starting to cool off as you said. happy to enjoy the coming all with a warm sweater and a cup of coffee soon!

💡Is the connection and appreciation of nature something that is part of your Faith? If so, how would you describe it?
-nature to me is healing. more and more studies coming out on "forest bathing" which is basically walking around the woods and paying attention. it nourishes me like not much else. i like being in nature because it is not "man made." it is so simple, yet complex, and fractally beautiful. to me it says there is much more here and we don't quite understand it all. to me, it speaks to the mystery of life.

💡How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments?
-it helps me have a sense of purpose and meaning, especially during difficult times. i can see that rough waters often have lessons that I need to learn. I don't necessarily want to learn them, but if I do now then it'll usually be less painful later.

💡What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path?
-i'm a big believer in this concept of grace. like, there is something out there looking out for us and helping us. i've seen this a lot in my life where if I were to rely on my own strength or capabilities, then things would definitely have gone sideways or not worked out. grace has come through for me and those I love time and time again. it was me mostly seeing this pattern happen and being like woah this is not really tied to my efforts. what is happening here? that helped me better understand and see the spiritual path.

How have you been lately?

Physically, I am doing well. Emotionally/mentally, that's a different story but I'm strong so I'm ok this way. ♡

How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments?

I've been praying to a God I never knew since childhood. I went through a lot at a young age. It was the words in the bible and praying to God that helped me feel safe through everything. I know that even though I'm imperfect God still loves me and He is the one that I can count on through all stages of my life. ♡

What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path?

I feel the need to continue to draw close to my Heavenly Father because He has, truthfully, been the only one I could count on my entire life. He gives me the strength on all my days and sustains me. He loves me unconditionally and I love Him. He has blessed me in many ways and He deserves all the glory and praise. Even when I have fallen off track, there's something inside of me that knows I can never run from Him. ♡

@MeaningfulSilence Thank you for this thread.

• How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments? When I am stressed out, it helps me to find a quiet place within and just let the dust settle until my mind is clearer.
• What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path? I think I knew instinctively that it was a part of my life I could not do without. When I ignored it and tried to live without that foundation, there was not a lasting sense of joy.
  

@MeaningfulSilence

How have you been lately? - I have been doing wonderful.

💡Is the connection and appreciation of nature something that is part of your Faith? If so, how would you describe it? - I love nature. It makes me feel grounded and alive. It's not something that is directly connected to my faith, but it is something that I appreciate and I love being in it when I speak to Heavenly Father.

💡How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments? - It helps me to remember what my purpose is. It helps me remember that I'm not alone in my trials.

💡What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path? - I've always believed in a higher power and I found the faith that I really am comfortable with and enjoy learning and growing in.

@MeaningfulSilence

💡How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments?

During difficult times, faith gives me hope and solace.

💡What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path?

To understand better through continuous learning. To be a better human being.

If one learn their faith correctly and hold on to their holy book, they'll grow in kindness and act from a place of empathy.

@MeaningfulSilence

How have you been lately?

I'm doing good lately, in fact, It was only during past few years and more during these past 2 months that I starting getting into seeking more knowledge about religion and I'm very happy that we now have a platform at 7cups to discuss it!🥳

Is the connection and appreciation of nature something that is part of your Faith? If so, how would you describe it?

Yes, connection and appreciation of nature is something that is part of my faith. In Islam, nature is seen as a reflection of Allah's (God's) creation and His blessings. The beauty and provision of nature are considered signs of Allah's existence and His care for His creation. Fruits, sun, soil and other natural resources are seen as blessings from Allah, providing sustenance & nourishment for us. Nature reminds us of God's generosity, power and also persuades us to appreciate/take care of the environment!💫🧸✨

How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments?

I'd like to quote an Arabic word here to better explain my perspective and belief. "Tawakkul" is what helps me during difficult moments in life, this is the word for the Islamic concept of putting your whole trust on Allah and relying on Him only for your matters about this world and the hereafter. It is the word for "trusting in God's plan" and reliance on Him only because he is the most powerful and only He can control things. You put your faith in Him that he'll plan things out for you or guide you.

Also, the fact that He is the most Loving and Forgiving helps me throughout every good or bad time, because I know no matter what my God is patiently waiting for me to turn towards Him. Humans and things are temporary but God is Ever-Living and perfect and I submit to him alone.

Praying is also a source of peace for me during hard times because I feel so connected to God and also while reading Quran, the holy book. It is a divine book that speaks to you and provides peace and guidance.😀🌌

What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path?

Wow, I like this question hihi😄, so, I wasn't always religious but rather not so into religion due to maybe ignorance. But growing up, you know there is a point in everyone's life where we have existential questions, questions about life and everything and also I always had a strong feeling that we humans have a purpose in this world, anything other didn't make sense. But researching and seeking knowledge gave me a satisfactory sense of direction and purpose, it was through my religion for me.

Islam is not only a religion but it is the way of life. All my questions that I had were answered through it and the holy book. Quran is a divine guide that provides instructions and teachings for all aspects of life including faith, morality, spirituality, relationships, and social justice. It serves as a source of guidance & wisdom for Muslims, helping them navigate through life's challenges and make decisions in accordance with Allah's will.

I always had a need to feel connected to God and to find purpose, discipline and peace in life and that's what sparked my journey towards a spiritual path & growing my faith.

And then I found my guidance and fulfillment through holy book Quran and also through stories of all the Prophets starting from Adam, Moses, Abraham, Solomon, Jesus, Jacob etc and ending with Muhammad may peace be with them all. We Muslims love and respect all messengers of Allah and we believe they were god's chosen people to deliver His message and teach us the way of life! Ngl their stories have also helped me during my hard times😊

Assalam-u-Alaikum Warahmat-ul-laahi wa-barakaatuh (May peace and blessings and mercy be upon you)

💡How have you been lately?

I've been pretty good, thanks for asking! Life has been pretty busy lately with school and stuff. We're also moving soon so my room is currently a huge mess that I need to clean up before I go to bed.

But overall, I'm grateful that things are going relatively smoothly and we've had no hiccups yet.

💡Is the connection and appreciation of nature something that is part of your Faith? If so, how would you describe it?

As Muslims, we believe that this world is a test for us. It is a test to see who among us used the intellect they were blessed with to recognize God and submit to Him.

Part of how we are expected to recognize God is by looking at the world around us and seeing all His creations. We look at the intricacies of flowers and insects and the vastness of the cosmos and we see a magnificence unmatched.

And from there, we think that if this is the beauty of the creation, how magnificent, how elegant, how utterly beautiful must be the Creator Himself.

The Quran, in Surah Al An'aam says:

💡How does your Faith and/or Spirituality help you during difficult moments?

My personal experience is that it's much easier for me to believe or be strong in faith or pray when things are going well. Gratitude comes naturally to me.

Where I often struggle is when the going gets tough. When something unexpected happens. Be it a loss in the family. Or exams not going well. Or anything in the negative side of the spectrum. That's when I find it hard to go back to Allah.

But one habit that I've made recently to cope with something going not so well in life is that I recite Quran everyday. I do it in the mornings usually but if I had a bad day, I'll do it right before bed as well.

And somehow, no matter what I'm going through, when I read the Quran it manages to soothe and calm and reassure me that everything will be fine. It seems like magic but even if I open it at a random point and start reading, in not too long I will start to feel like this passage was written specifically for this very situation I'm in.

One verse that I always read repeatedly when I'm going through a hard time is:

💡What made you feel the need to grow your faith or to have a spiritual path?

4 years ago, I lost a really close friend, my only close friend, to a car accident. That loss shook me to my core. I wasn't very religious before that and when that happened I was left completely alone. I didn't know how to grieve, who to talk to, who to confide in. That friend was my ride or die. We used to share everything with each other and now, when I needed a shoulder to cry on, he wasn't there.

So that night, I didn't sleep. I was up on my roof (which used to be our favorite hangout spot) listening to our favorite songs, crying, looking at pictures. And then, this Islamic lecture got recommended on YouTube. It was the story of a man who had lost his wife and then consequently lost his faith. I sat there for an hour and a half and listened to that entire lecture. And I realized, that is not how I wanted my life to go.

I didn't want to lose myself in the grief of my friend. I wanted to honor his memory and make sure everyone else knew him like the loving, caring friend he was to me.

That day was the start of my journey to be a better Muslim. What I lost that day, I made up for with my relationship with Allah.

And recently I was reading the Quran and I came across this verse that reminded me of him so much that I started crying again, thinking of all the good times we had. It goes like such: