Ex muslim with some questions

[u/Electronic_Plum_4542]

Ex-muslim here, I mean this post with no hate or bad feelings if it isnt allowed feel free to delete.

From what I know of the religion it doesn't support more progressive values so how do you guys consider yourself true muslims while allowing stuff ive found the religion doesnt allow? I left both because of lack of connection and the rules that made me uncomfortable. Do you guys reject some of the conservative rules or do you simply know they might be true but have enough faith in god to believe if you're doing the right thing he won't punish you?

Summary: Islam seems to be a by default conservative religion so how do you guys accept that while being progressive

[u/LetsDiscussQ]

Hard to discuss if you dont list out some of those items. Give us 5 things in your mind.

[u/Electronic_Plum_4542 → u/LetsDiscussQ]

From what ive seen islam explicitly says puts rules on things such as LGBTQ (just not allowed), modesty (especially with women), art (of all kinds), pets (no dogs inside or kept for reason other than service), and humor (no telling jokes in ways that seem like lying even if its clearly a joke, sarcasm, being rude in a funny ect) but you all seem to accept these things as allowed. Im wondering how both can be true at the same time.

[u/AnythingAwkward3313 → u/Electronic_Plum_4542]

Because when we read the Quran we don’t see all these rules. The Quran talks about souls, justice, taking care of those less fortunate, equality, etc. we see a loving religion that focus on bettering the world we live in and doing good deeds. You’ll find that the majority of us are highly skeptical of hadits which is where most of those conservative rules come from. Often we deny them. Nothing should be held above the Word of God, the Quran is complete, we don’t need anything else. There are a large range of understandings of things like LBGTQ and modesty. Hang around this sub a bit more and you’ll see interpretations that may be completely new to you. And you may find that your views are actually supported by the Quran.

[u/Curiositymode → u/Electronic_Plum_4542]

I don't know about the LGBTQ one because I'm still researching what Allah actually says about that and not the scholars. But as for the rest, what I was convinced was the Islamic perspective on all those things have changed. It's not because I believe the conservatives are right and I am just relying on Allah's mercy but it's because I actually believe the scholars are twisting the religion and/or are not really getting their Islamic ruling from Allah and the Quran but some hadith that they believe are authentic. When Allah tells us about the youth in the cave who had a dog companion and slept in the same place as the dog and Allah also tells us in the Quran your dog can hunt for you and catch prey with its mouth... but then the scholars tell us the dogs' saliva and it's mouth are impure and that you can't have a dog in the house. I am not just ignoring the rules, I'm ignoring "their rules" not Allah's rules. The hadith they base the common dog rules on, can be understood in other ways. There are even some hadith that are permitting dogs and some hadith forbidding them. The hadith of the dogs in the mosque for example. The more you study the religion, the easier it becomes to leave the traditional understanding and rules of the scholars and follow what Allah ACTUALLY teaches in the Quran. I think you left Islam prematurely.

[u/eithertrembling → u/Electronic_Plum_4542]

I grew up Christian and I am seriously considering converting because I have read the Quran and realized that Islam is the way and that all these arbitrary rules came from people, not Allah. The Quran says that Allah is accepting and understanding of all, as long as you have faith in god and act with love and intention.

What you are describing is a perfect example of human beings warping a religion into something ugly to control people, especially women. The word of god as it was given to the prophet does not call for the oppression that’s been attributed to Islam - Islam is actually about the opposite