About

If you want to skip my bio and get right to my points check out Top Posts to get right into the problems I found in Islam

Here is the video version of Why I left Islam in a nutshell if you would prefer to watch instead of reading instead.

About me

IMG-20160706-WA0003.jpg

Myself, around 10 years ago, more pics on my facebook page

Also check out “Proof I was a Muslim

Like me on Facebook (more updates) (less updates)

I was born Ismaili in Kenya and came to Canada when I was young.

I grew up Ismaili, my mom is Sunni dad Ismaili. Growing up in Canada in a public school, I was invited by a friend to join them after school for prayers. Being Ismaili, I didn’t pray Namaaz (the sunni form of the prayer), but I had done it before at my uncle’s house a couple of times when he forced me to pray, and felt comfortable enough, so I joined them.

I asked my dad if it was okay, who told me it didn’t matter how I prayed to God, it was fine. So I started praying with them daily. I also started going for juma (the friday prayer), and eventually started reading the Quran. I really liked it and felt that this is what God wants from me. When I read the Quran it made perfect sense and eventually I started to feel that Sunnism was more correct. It felt like it was unadultered and pure compared to Ismailism which felt modern and empty.

So as time went by, over the next year (still in highschool) or so I started attending sunni lectures organised by the young muslim / muslim student associations here and eventually after studying the Quran I came to the conclusion that Ismailism is a religion based on shirk and that praying to Aga Khan is an unforgivable sin.

Thus I left Ismailism and became officially Sunni. My younger brother followed me about a year later. He is still Sunni Muslim to this day.

When I was in high school, I found Islam.  A friend offered me the Quran to read and I was amazed at how I found God’s message to me and how he wanted me to live my life. I read the entire book cover to cover in English, and proceeded to read Sahih Bukhari cover to cover (summarized edition).  For many years I was still Ismaili, but I would attend conventions like ISNA Canada and also go to local Young Muslim events such as Suhaib Webb’s “Zina The Disease with 1000 Faces.”  After some time I decided Ismailism was a perversion of the true message of Islam and I started to identify myself as a Sunni Muslim, around the age of 16 to 18.  You can read this short summary that I wrote on why I left Ismailism to become Sunni (I wrote it many many years ago).

When I became (Sunni) Muslim, I followed Islam as much as possible to the best of my ability.  This meant that even though I was leaving home for the first time and living on university campus, I had to avoid all the fun that my friends around me were having with girls and alcohol. I completely abstained from these vices.

During this time I started the web site Light Upon Light as I found there were not enough Islamic videos for people to watch for free. I even used to go and tape some of the events at the conferences and masjids myself.  I have over 4 million downloads on this site.

Here is my abdullahadam Youtube Channel.  Here is my old Light Upon Light Blog

As well, I was very much involved with Sh. Yusuf Estes and his Share Islam family of sites, providing technical support and advice for keeping his servers running smoothly, backups, administration, and so on.  Some of his sites are Islam News Room, QTafsir.com, ReciteQuran.com, and many more. This was done on a volunteer basis.

I also worked with Eddy (The Deen Show) and Murad from IslamicTube on a daily basis. Eddy cried when he heard I left Islam and we talked about it a few times but it is what it is.

I also ran the site VerseByVerseQuran.com (now shut down) which was something I poured many years of work into and thousands of dollars. I was very sad to shut it down. It was serving mp3s composed of individual verses of the Quran (6236 verses in each recitation, and there was tons of recitations) , with around 1000+ simultaneously downloading at any given time going up to 2500+ simultaneous downloads in Ramadan. The Quran mp3s were used to develop hundreds of apps including recitequran.com, tanzil.net, mobile Quran apps etc. See the full list here) and I never charged money to anyone who wanted to use it. It was always free of charge.  And I worked with Mahmoud Hammam (Custodian of http://quran.ksu.edu.sa) on VerseByVerseQuran project and both of them will tell you I am truthful in that I did not ask for anything in return for what I did for them.

Personal Sacrifices in being a Muslim

I don’t mention these things to gloat or show off, but to show that I was devoted to Islam and I truly believed in it with all my heart. Since most of you don’t know me, I only state this to make my story seem more personal and more real, and to show that I was a person who wanted to live and die for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa’ta’Ala.  Also, I’ve had a lot of people tell me the most ridiculous thing – “oh you were never really Muslim anyway.” so I thought I would put this part to make it look more realistic and personable.

As I was living for the sake of God, i made many personal choices and sacrifices in living up to this covenant.  Part of this is already described above as the efforts I made to propogate Islam to everyone.  Another sacrifice was not to date, and to get married directly. I got married at the age of 21.  The next thing is I avoided all forms of riba and refused any and all jobs at the bank.  I also had to live by rent as I could not buy a house on mortgage.  I also was strict about eating halal.  For many years too I would not celebrate birthdays or anniversaries as I thought these were haram.

Umrah

Me at Umrah
Me at Umrah

In 2011 we went for Umrah and visited Makkah and Medinah.  It was a really enjoyable experience.

We also went to Egypt for a few months for a vacation and to try to study Arabic (which I did not end up getting time to do so)

Family Pic I
Family Pic In Egypt

Leaving Islam

أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted? (67:14)

Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction. (4:82)

Archer L. Gleason writes:

If the statements it the Quran contains concerning matters of history and science can be proven by extraquranic records, by ancient documents recovered through archaeological digs, or by the established facts of modern science to be contrary to the truth, then there is grave doubt as to its trustworthiness in matters of religion. In other words, if the Quranic record can be proved fallible in areas of fact that can be verified, then it is hardly to be trusted in areas where it cannot be tested. —Archer L. Gleason

Victor Stenger writes:

Our observations, in this case our reading of biblical and Qur’anic statements about the natural world, look exactly as you would expect them to look if there was no new knowledge being revealed—just what was the human understanding of the day. That is, they look as if there is no God who speaks to humanity through scriptures or other revelations.
If a person undergoes a religious experience that truly places her in communication with some reality from beyond the material world, then we may reasonably expect that person to have gained some deep, new knowledge about the world that can be checked against the empirical facts.

It could have been different. The scriptures might have contained revelations that, while incomprehensible to people at the time of the revelation, may have still been recorded as mysterious, esoteric knowledge. That knowledge then might have become less esoteric as science and the other knowledge arts, such as history, developed higher levels of sophistication.

Quotes from Victor Stenger, God: The Failed Hypothesis

How it happened


I left Islam at age 32…, in the middle of Ramadan, 2015 (late June).  Most Muslims will never challenge their faith and read things that will cause them doubt, which is why I feel most of them will never leave Islam.  However, I had some nagging doubts that had come to my mind over the years.  I had seen a comment from a fellow that almost became Muslim, but when he was researching, he found that the stories in the Quran actually came from Talmudic sources.  I of course vehemently denied this and I engaged in a dialogue with the man.  This happened a year before I left Islam.  During my research I actually started to doubt Islam and even left it for a day.  But then I put it all behind me and somehow resolved my issues and continued being a Muslim for another full entire year.  During this year, I was absolutely 100% Muslim, praying 5 times a day, etc..  What triggered it is after this year I went to a halaqa by Sh. Dawood Butt that he mentioned something about the Quran and science, maybe it was how the sky is held up without any (visible) pillars. Or maybe it was something else he said.  Anyway, this made me want to research and I spent tons of time reading everything. I read every post on Rational Islam Blog, RationalWiki, watched The Rationalizer’s videos (who was another fellow who almost became Muslim), and I started to find that the narrative I believed in had a lot of holes in it.  Someone might say, you did this to yourself, why would you read things against Islam?  Well, if you are on the religion of truth, what is to be scared of?  Also, this attitude of avoiding reading things against your belief is not how I became Muslim.  I became Muslim because I was willing to challenge my preconceived ideas.  The same people who are telling me not to read things against Islam should realize, this attitude is what keeps people following false ideologies.  The other funny thing is that when you become Muslim, nobody asks you if you know how to read Arabic, but when you leave Islam, they suddenly want you to have a PhD in Islamic theology and Arabic before you can say the Quran is wrong.  Having an open mind and sincerity for the truth is what guides someone to the truth.

Major Issues I had

Take a look at the Top Posts. The story of Dhul Qarnayn is one major issue. It shows not just how the story was just another popular story that was introduced into the Quran, but also some of the statements in the stories show just how the flawed world view of the people at the time ended up in the Quran.  The other major issue is the Geocentrism in the Quran.  The best Muslims have come up with to respond to these claims is “dont take it literally” or “the Quran was not meant to respond to scientific misunderstandings”.  The other major issue is the superstitions in Islam such as magic, evil eye, and jinns which are just not true.

Why create this blog?

I made this blog to share my reasons for why I left Islam in an organized fashion in the hope that it will make others think. I promoted Islam for half of my life, using my skills to share Islam with others.  I created a site for sharing Islamic videos online for free (Light Upon Light, along with Verse By Verse Quran), along with some DVDs I used to make and distribute outside masjids and online.

My personality is one of sharing, and just like I shared Islam with others for many years, I would like to share my new conclusions with others.

What now?

As Islam seemed to be the best choice of divine religion, and that has been eliminated, I do not follow any religion.  For all intents and purposes I am an atheist.  While I do not deny that there may be a creator that created everything, because this creator did not send us any revelation, it does not practically matter if we believe in him or not.  From a technical perspective, this is called “deism” (belief in a God but not a God that is involved in the creation).  I believe that if God exists, he did not send any revelation.  Since I have not seen any proof for God, it is also equally possible that God does not exist.  Deism and Atheism are practically the same for all intents and purposes.  I encourage everyone to really consider if the Quran is from God.

My family’s reaction to me leaving Islam

You might also enjoy reading my other related posts:

Top Posts

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268 thoughts on “About

  1. Salam,
    It is very sad to see you leave Islam for whatever reason it is.
    If you had made every attempt to –
    1. learn Islam properly,
    2. practice it yourself,
    3. Read the Seerah(Life History) of Noble Prophet(Peach be Upon Him) and understand –
    the hardships He went thru,
    the lonely path he travelled so many times,
    his steadfastness in the deen He brought,
    His unwavering belief in it despite death threats and assassination attempts,
    before your sharing of Islam with others -> then you wouldn’t have landed where you are now.

    If you do a favor to someone or share something good and expect reward rightaway or cannot tolerate critisicm, then you haven’t followed Islam in the 1st place.

    The basic principle in Islam is, A Muslim does not expect reward from those he does favors to. He expects it only from The Allah, The Most Magnificent, The Most Merciful who rewards it in a way a human mind cannot comprehend, whose Treasure never gets exhausted!. That is His Majesty! A Muslim understands that this world is a temporary abode and the Here-after/After-life is The Final Destination!
    It is upto Allah The Greatest, The Blemishless, The Unchallenged, The Continously Merciful, The King of All Kings, to reward or punish a person according to his deeds either in this world or in the After-life or in both lives.
    Islam is all about submitting yourself completely to the Commands
    of Allah (the Creator of all that exists or ever existed or that going to be created in future) and living a life on the ways shown by the last and final Holy Prophet Muhammed(Pbuh). It is about continuously purifying your soul for your own good by obeying Allah’s commands, calling oneself to account before we accounted before Allah and not thinking that this materialistic world is a permanent place of existence.
    So, if you were short-sighted in understanding this principle of Islam, then I hope and pray my humble response clarifies it for you.

    I request you to rethink your decision for your own good and come back, my brother in Islam.
    You can contact me on the email id provided if you like to discuss more.
    ~ A Slave of Allah(The Most Merciful, the Ever Loving)

    1. Going through hardships and being attacked for your ideas does not make those ideas valid. In every major religion or even political persuasion we can find examples of people who endured horrific things for the sake of their beliefs, even willing human sacrifices. They cannot all be correct. In fact, none of them need be an accurate reflection of reality.

      “A Muslim does not expect reward from those he does favors to. He expects it only from The Allah, The Most Magnificent, The Most Merciful who rewards it in a way a human mind cannot comprehend,”
      Isn’t this simply a reframing of the much older principle of karma?

        1. Abdullah
          I knew you from University. I will not argue with you or try to convince you about Islam. However one thing i have noticed from reading these posts is your tone. You used to be very gentle with your use of words when you use to write and blog earlier but now you seem to have a more combative and aggressive tone. Why this change ? I pray that the Allah subhan wa tallah whom u think might exist may guide you to the right path.

          Hassan

          1. Hey Hassan. I don’t think Allah may exist at all. In fact I am quite certain there is no such entity known as “Allah”. As my friend said:
            God if realized as some impersonal cosmic force or energy or entity perhaps exists, in fact may exist, but when personified as some conscious, willful and caring being is wishful thinking.

            I don’t think there is any God out there who cares about us, or is interacting with us in any way. Just look at prayer, it has no measurable effect. Look up the Randi foundation’s $1 million challenge, nobody could demonstrate any occult or paranormal experiences in a controlled environment. If God exists, he is making it very difficult to detect his existence.

            The one year since I left Islam I have become more certain that I made the right decision and maybe this is why I am more “aggressive”. The more and more I study, the more issues I am finding in the Islamic conception of reality. It just doesn’t add up. And I also pray (not literally) and hope that you see this one day.

        2. Hello and Aoa –

          Hope you are in good health.

          My name is Talal. I saw few of your videos. I would like to make a few points here. There are some verses in the Quran which indeed does not make sense and that, in my opinion, is totally fine. This is because of a couple of reasons:

          Firstly, as you may be aware that the verses in the Quran were revealed over a period of 23 years. The verses revealed relates to a certain event occurred during that time thereby they have a background story attached to them which we sometimes may not know hence the confusion arises when reading those verses.

          Secondly, some verses relate to stories and events happened before Mohammad saw time period like the one you mentioned of Zulqurnain. There are similar Hadith about Dajjal in the hadith portion of Islamic literature according to which he is also hiding somewhere on earth. The point here I would like to make is that the stories are there for reference and we cannot be sure of them ever till that time comes when these prophecies would be fulfilled. These stories are there for the believers and not for the non-believers. A Believer first has to believe that Quran is the word of God and hadith are from his last Messenger saw. When a person truly believes in the above statement, only then he would see the stories and believe in their validity.

          I guess every person to some extent goes through doubts about their faith. It has happened to me as well. When that happened, instead of questioning what I was reading, I went straight to the root of everything that is, Is there a God? Is prophet Mohammad saw really his messenger? How did we come into being? Who made this earth? Why everything seems to be so simple but when you look into detail is much more complex then we could possibly imagine? (Referring to a video I saw on youtube about how trees get water from the roots) Questions like these should lead you to believe in something and from there on one can progress towards Quran and its claim being from God.

          Thank you. Hope you find what you are looking for.

          Regards
          Talal

    2. He clearly states he made every attempt at becoming and remaining muslim. Read the Quran and Hadith and its translations and you yourself will be appalled at the inaccurate, contradictory, and hateful verses they contain. If any of it is not true or morally incorrect, Islam cannot be in any sense the “true religion”

  2. HHello Abdullah!

    What you’re doing takes guts and is incredibly important. We humans as a race are starting to leave religion – an aspect of our collective that contributed to the development civilization – behind us, because it has gone from a benefit to a drag on progress. The reaction to the demise of religion is initially very strong, but after this reactionary response it quickly loses it vigour. When Bush won his second term in 2004, he campaigned on a religious platform. Since then there has been a drastic change, and the US population are distancing themselves from religion like never before. It is my guess that we’ll see a tipping point in public opinion similar to those on recreational marijuana and Gay marriage very soon, which will change the United States to its core. This development has already happened in large parts of Europe, China and Japan. The rise in terrorism is further accelerating the drive away from religion – a good recent example is from my country of birth, Finland, where the Bible has been entirely removed from courtrooms starting today(1.1.2016)!
    The development has been going on in the Islamic world, too. The change in public opinion has not affected the politics of the region quite yet, because illiberal societies take longer to react to these types of changes. However, 20% of Saudi Arabians say they aren’t religious, and the Muslim youth are turning their back to religion in droves. To side-line the religious wackos who try to dictate that others should lead their lives in accordance with an anachronistic fairy-tale that interferes with almost all aspects of life, more people like you need to speak up!
    We are moving away from tribal societies to a global one, and nationality, religious believes and ethnicity are losing their meaning as the basis of identity. Interests, political views and lifestyle choices, among other unifying factors, are increasingly what people build their identity on. Indeed, I have more in common with Classical liberals who are interested in philosophy and history than I do with my fellow Finns.
    What I hope is that we can convince everyone that a secular society based on negative liberties is ideal. This way everyone can lead their lives in a way they themselves deem fit. It is also my hope that we can push religion to the fringes (and the private, where it belongs) and eventually get rid of it entirely. In the words of the late Christopher Hitchens, religion poisons everything.

    I wish you the best of luck, Abdulla! We’re in for a struggle that will take a few decades at the least, but the wheel has been put in motion and cannot be stopped. How soon it reaches its destination is, however, up to us who fight for a free society for all!

    1. EDIT:
      * indeed, I have more in common with Classical liberals who are interested in philosophy and history from the other side of the world than I do with my fellow Finns.

      **I wish you the best of luck, Abdullah!

    2. Yes but islam is the biggest challence, muslims to a large part still live in a world of hysterial religiosity. They really live in the middle ages. The (peaceful) fight against islam’s stupidity is on! The ex-muslims movement is a hopeful start

      1. I was on transit in one of the middle east countries and i couldn’t step out of the airport without covering my head. So i wondered do people practice is by force or by will?

  3. Bismillah…
    Abdullah sameer, please watch doctor zakir naik and also Ahmad deedat , which shows many discussion with atheis etc , to re-evaluate your decision to leave Islam.

    1. Zakir Naik makes very shallow arguments that are easily disproved just by Google searching. Most of the time he is not even honest with what he says, and misrepresents the Quran in order to prove some “scientific miracle”

      1. Hello Admin,

        I appreciate if you can share the arguments of Zakir Naik which are inconsistent. I’m not a fan of him but not as well read as you are and in the habit of doing thorough researches. I’ll use what you’ll share in discussion with the fans of this shallow Doctor.

        Looking forward for your support.

        Best regards,

        Irfan

          1. Hello,
            I hate to break it to you but the THEORY of evolution is not a valid explanation for life. That is because in order for evolution to be a law of life, life would have to have originated from “thin air”. Amino acids (building blocks of proteins/life) can be synthesized and so can RNA under certain conditions(“thin air”=In the first moments after the Big Bang, the universe was extremely hot and dense. As the universe cooled, conditions became just right to give rise to the building blocks of matter – the quarks and electrons of which we are all made) however DNA and the RNA Synthase cannot be synthesized out of thin air. This indicates that there is a flaw in the theory of evolution. As for Darwin’s finches they remained within the same species due to the fact that the species could produce viable offspring when mated with each other ( Consider Darwin’s finches with a long bill and which feeds on nectar. .If one of these individuals were to hybridize with another species of finch with a bill adapted for cracking nuts, the hybrid will most likely have an intermediate sort of bill that is neither very good for eating nectar nor very good at cracking nuts and that’s why hybrids weren’t found)

            As for the individual who was criticizing Zakir Naik in the video. He clearly had a bias towards him, and was making ridiculous remarks on mispronunciations Zakir made. I also took the liberty of looking up the names he couldn’t find and found a majority of them through a simple google search.

            The biggest miracle of life is the process of DNA replication a highly advise you to watch an animation of it on youtube than make a decision on denouncing an all knowing creator or accepting the teaching of all Abrahamic religions

          2. You should focus on the comparative religion points by Zakir Naik instead of focusing on his weaknesses in grammar, history and etc.

            He is not an english native – therefore western names and words are not his forte.

            From what I see, the author of this video was trying to portray Zakir Naik as a liar in other things therefore weakens his argument in comparative religion.

            But Zakir Naik’s grammatical and historical error doesn’t relate. The author should tell us about the his errors in respect of yhe holy books.

      2. He is a bad joke. He lied about the meaning of ‘nour’ as if it meant reflective light, just to create another ‘scientific miracle’ in the koran.
        But he is also real fun, especially when he starts mentioning endless bible and islam texts. The dumbos in the room get hysterical, dr naik looks like a miracle himself. But is all bla bla. Sad human being.

    2. Zakir Nayek and Nouman Ali Khan have no depth in their argument or philosophy. I watched their video and young kids know more science than those guys. Reza Aslan is another example. They have good knowledge of language and take adavantage of English but honestly I laugh at them when I watch their video. Majority of muslims still live in cave and so ignorant that they don’t want to click on the button because it will open up a new window of thoughts and they may not accept it. Religion is a cult and people need to realize it. Hope this world will be embrace a religion less culture soon.

      1. A plea for Religion! Man is rational, social, and IMO a religious! I can well understand a Muslim leaving Islam and adopting atheism. The concept of ‘Allah’ is so inhuman that it is only human to reject ‘Allah’. But to reject ‘Allah’ is only to reject one concept of God. To reject any God is irrational if your only reason to do so is ‘Allah’. I like the Christian God, myself. Without positing God as the First Uncaused Cause of the Universe(Including, of course, man), you reach a dead end, and ultimately leaves your life pointless. A loving God fills in many questions about life and its joys — and trials. Why does a God allow man to suffer? Short Answer: Because man made a mess of his life. A loving God comes to man’s rescue, not to exempt man from the consequences of his actions, but to give man the ‘Grace’ to live and dig himself out of his own mess. To lift all consequences of his evil actions is to treat man as a robot or worse — as a helpless jerk.
        So, a Surgeon can cure a patient of a disease, or a man can teach another, or in so many ways, help others(his Family, for example) — out of Love. Man can and ought to love so as to perfect himself. “Grace[God’s Plan] does not destroy man but perfects him.” (St. Thomas Aquinas).
        What is this ‘Mess’ into which man has put himself? It is man as we know him today and throughout history: Greedy, selfish, murderous even…and in general man is weak in Will and slow of Intellect. If you turn against your humanity via greed, selfishness and so on, as indeed has evidently happened to man, it is a great striving to overcome these grievous faults. If man is indeed ‘weak and his intellect darkened’, then he needs an ‘Outside Agent’ to help him — and that Agent we call God. Now how does God come to our help: One way I want to stress here is that God helps us ‘Though other human beings’. God sends them to us for this loving purpose. As they say, “I need all the help I can get.”
        Yes, reject an evil or insufficient god, but there may indeed be a real God out there. Never stop searching. We grow only gradually and with some difficulty — it’s the ‘Human Way’, and God does not exempt us from being Human. Cheers! A retired Catholic priest in Canada.

        1. It’s unfortunate you like the christian god. I was regretfully raised christian and I can say without a doubt that the christian god is no more than a withholding, childish psychopath and we are but the ants to its magnifying glass.

          The Quran and Islam are much more sophisticated and clear than Christianity & Bible; I doubt someone who has come to recognize the criticisms of the Quran and depiction of Allah so well would ever fall into belief of something much less sophisticated like Christianity.

          If a god does exist, it must be very conceptual and vague in nature; perhaps that feeling one sometimes gets (particularly on an LSD trip) of oneness of the universe is the very fabric of such a god… but I think most well-rounded educated people that escaped indoctrination as a child (or overcame it) would quite confidently state that the christian or muslim depictions of god are basically impossible.

          1. Can you tell us how Islam and Allah are more sophisticated??? In same spirit of looking for answers

      2. Hello Sara,

        Why not you further elaborate with examples(atleast 2-3 strong ones) of having no depth in the arguments of Zakir, Nouman and Reza so people like me can benefit as well.

        Best regards,

        Irfan

        1. Since 2+2 = 4 that is why Islam is right and since 2+2 cannot be 5 – so all other religions are false – Zakir Naik

    3. Naik is the biggest bad joke on legs. He is also a liar, he did as if ‘nour’ means reflective light. That was a way to do as if muslims discovered that the light ot the moon was reflective. But that was already known long before the seventh century. But Naik still continues this nonsense as a scientific miracle, OMG. His dumb followers will of course clap for this horrible man Naik. The man is a disgrace. His english is another joke.

    4. Zakir Naik is not very good at defending Islam. Some of his arguments are laughable. The contradictions and scientific falsehoods of the Quran underscore the fact that this book was written by men.

  4. as salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatu Allah. I am both shocked and saddened to read this decision of yours – that I, and many others, cannot understand, yet it is yours to make for yourself. In the meantime, as an avid user of the ‘verse by verse’ site – who now will oversee it, because it is used by so many for learning Qur’an? How do we access the soundclips and other posts that were made to it?

      1. Hellow, admin you couldn’t lay out files from everyayah.com in a torrent, for a week at least.
        You wouldn’t like to sell this site?? …sorry for my English

  5. Well, that is your decision, thanks for you effort. but what I believe God never make a mistake and never make you confused about the true path “wa qul ja’al-haqqu wa zahaqal batilu, innal-batila kana zahuqa”, this is the only religion that I know, make statement the only religion accepted by God is Islam, and this is very clear

    “And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah . They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying.” [
    Al-An’am 6:116]

    “Those who followed will say, “If only we had another turn [at worldly life] so we could disassociate ourselves from them as they have disassociated themselves from us.” Thus will Allah show them their deeds as regrets upon them. And they are never to emerge from the Fire.” [Al-Baqarah 2:167]

    may Allah guide us

    1. I’m sure if you could prove without reasonable doubt that Muhammad were actually a prophet, the Quran actually word of god etc, than he would listen to you.

      But you can’t prove such things. You can only write how it feels right to you, and how you are gullible enough to believe what you are told without verification. No matter what words you type if you were to type an encyclopedia worth would ever constitute strong enough evidence to form such a belief.

      I hope one day you realize how deep the lies go and how foolish you’ve been to believe in such fairytales.

  6. Sameer, I’m a grandfather born Christian in the U.S. who became a Muslim 33 years ago. Since then, I’ve struggled to save myself and my family from the pitfalls and deceptions built to destroy our true selves and reason for being. The reality is this… at the head of every path is a caller to it, and everyone heeds to one (or, more) of the callers. The path we choose is of our striving or of our desires, by way of guidance or by way of misguidance. Sameer, don’t honor yourself with accomplishments and work while assuming that your were a Muslim (as if that validates your sincerity). Place your face in the mirror and be honest with yourself… you’ll know the Face of your Lord was not what you sought… then fear He Who Created You and come to Him as a repentant slave.

    1. Dear brother Arif, don’t worry about my sincerity. I simply shared these things so that people would know I am a real person who lived the life of a Muslim who truly believed. That’s all, nothing more. I have edited the text to make this more clear. Thank you

      BTW, intersting how typically people try to convince you with emotional arguments such as “you will meet your lord”, rather than by actual evidence.

      1. After 15years you left Islam that’s totally ok. I respect your decision. 15 years? So long! What did you learn last15 years Islam? Do i need any religion in my life? Maybe maybe not. If i believe in God, hell and heaven; I think I need it. If i don’t believe, i no need it at all. Any religion nothing but way of life. If anyone doesn’t follow traffic signal, accident 100%.
        Good luck!

    2. You know, funny thing… Once you realize how silly it is to believe in these nonsense ideas of “god” thought up by illiterate uneducated tribesmen, the idea of fearing god is even more silly than the belief itself.

  7. Hello Sameer,
    It’s interesting how I found your page. I was doing a search on the Prophet Muhammed’s Seerah for a dawah program I am involved with at the masjid. I am a convert for now 20 yrs. I also study Islam and have kept my open inquisitive mind on non stop mode to absorb the knowledge. In the secular world, I have studied psychology and work in Social Work. I do not believe emotions or feelings are any less than facts or figures. There is a wonderful statistician that did an amazing job at telling the world that after 10 yrs of studies she found out that vulnerability/empathy was the ingredient that made everyone happy! She was up to that point running away from it, now go figure she discovered the magic ingredient! Here is the link: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en ( overlook the expletives in lieu of the educational lesson.)
    Now in islam, Allah starts by telling us: He is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. And he sent our Prophet Muhammed, sallahu alayhi wa salaam as a Mercy to Mankind. We are indeed in need of our Rabb in all our affairs, no matter how strong we may be.

    Now on to discuss what you may have been confused about in a general manner. As a convert, I can look at what my life was like before Islam and after. I accepted Islam solely on faith in the Higher Power and His final revelation to us. I did not know much when I embraced Islam, other than I could not fathom attributing divinity or any co-share with God. Prior to I was a devout Christian who did not feel comfortable with how Jesus was elevated to Godlike status or part of trilogy. I also did not feel comfortable with how many on earth were living morally decadent lifestyles, not a religious life at all. My innate feelings were always questioning.

    Fast forward, I learned how to recite some Quran. I took classes at the masjid with a wonderful teacher who taught me how to recite and read portions of the Quran. I had to make an earnest effort by studying on my own. In other words it was not easily memorized since I was already an adult. However, I managed to memorize what I needed to. I continued on working (volunteer) with the masjid for years, always meeting interested non Muslims and witnessing first hand new Muslims take their shahaada. Everytime, I personally felt a lift. They were “new” shahaadas, experiencing that ultimate submission to Allah. Even on my normal regular faithful days (eman) I would get a boost from it. Though, I quickly learned that Islam was not just about that boost but also about the daily ins and outs of it. The sooner I learned that the better since we’re all humans who make mistakes and must constantly renew our Islamic faith. This is the part of asking forgiveness on a constant basis. Feeling deeply that ultimately we are impoverished and incomplete without the help of Allah (our Creator) and His blessings. I found this to help me succeed in all, yes, even before I learned about Islam, I was already submitting to Him. But this does not contradict my believe whatsoever since it was my duaa that led me to find Islam, or shall I say Islam find me. I researched in my late teens Christianity in its protestant style, then Judaism, and all form of ideologies out there, even came across Hinduism and Budism. I had not a clue that Muslims would be in my path and ultimately their presence would be the answer to that general duaa I always made to my Creator…to guide me to what is correct.

    My background in psychology helped put this all in perspective – the internal and the external. And yes, we are taught in Western thought that faith-based traditions and counseling does help to keep us grounded and cope with life stressors. Of course. There is nothing wrong with that. But what faith-based traditions, in a pluralistic sense does not do is to point toward only one belief system. It simply tells me that we are all humans and are capable of choosing what we feel like choosing or not. It does not mean that because I respect and will work together with my brothers in humanity that I believe their belief in God is the correct one. We choose to coexist with respect, that’s all.

    Over the years, I have continued on my studies in Islam. I have felt the need to make sense of it all by learning more. But especially the Quran. It is indeed peaceful as I recite the words of my Creator. His Divine Speech exactly has was revealed. How we choose to interpret, I may read and study, but that is secondary when I am reciting the words carefully and by way of teachers who are so close in isnad (chain of narration) to the Prophet (saw)…

    I have had different Quran teachers in tajweed application and tiliwah reading. I have read the Quran in its entirety with the proper tajweed with a teacher and on my own. I have taken Uloom ul Quran and tafsir classes. I have kept an open mind and have studied with teachers from different traditional and academic trainings. It’s like you have, you have tried to keep that open mind and ask. I certainly enjoy asking. I certainly enjoy reading in depth studies and made it a point to study my deen at a more advanced level to the best of my abilities. We can be diverse, however, we must understand very well that we do have parameters. And why I am writing this email to you. I found in the course of my studies that I was very fortunate not have limited my learning from one set of teachers or institutes catering to one type of leaning. I have also felt fortunate not to seclude myself from the world. I have many acquaintances from both the non Muslims circles and Muslim worlds, and yes I am strict in following the halal and abstaining from haram. It’s okay, I am very thankful that I can give and love my fellow brethren in mankind without having to participate in haram. The secret: ask Allah SWT to keep you guided, to accept from your good deeds, to increase you in knowledge and to forgive/overlook your faults. Always do this. The minute we depend on ourselves even in a task that seems so simple, we have already set ourselves up for failure. Humility is key on this journey to the hereafter. Remember this verse. The next point will address how to safeguard from this:

    Quran’s Lesson – Surah Al-Tawbah 9, Verse 125, Part 11

    وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزَادَتْهُمْ رِجْسًا إِلَىٰ رِجْسِهِمْ وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ
    But as for those in whose hearts is a disease (of doubt, disbelief and hypocrisy), it will add suspicion and doubt to their suspicion, disbelief and doubt, and they die while they are disbelievers. رہے وہ لوگ جن کے دلوں میں (نفاق کی) بیماری ہے تو اس سورت نے ان کی (پہلی) ناپاکی پر مزید ناپاکی کا اضافہ کردیا اور وہ مرتے دم تک کافر کے کافر ہی رہے۔ [Al-Quran 9:125]

    Sameer, maybe you have not found your answers because you delved too deeply in an area without having been grounded in the fundamentals of the faith. Not that you’re unintelligent. It is that sometimes the approach to Islam by some scholars/teachers is to keep us away from some thoughts and ideologies for fear that it will just be too confusing or it is not even acceptable. I agree, there are lots that is totally off. Like precaution, right? One wrong move and the possibility of learning baseless knowledge to confuse a shaky base is introduced. Yes, the shaytan (evil) does exist, and he whispers doubts if we are not firm in our faith. Why even Shaykh Yasir Qadir talked about it in his lecture on why he did not recommend others to study Western academia Islam first without a traditional understanding of it. As you may know, he received a Ph.d in Islamic Studies at Yale: http://thethinkingmuslim.com/2015/11/10/studying-islamic-sciences-in-western-universities-not-a-good-idea-dr-yasir-qadhi/

    There is no hokus pocus in that. Belief in Allah as All Knower and All Wise is beyond our comprehension and is a matter of submission. Cave dwellers were painting submission to a Higher Power thoughsands of years ago. No shyness or shame to embrace and submit to Him. And maybe your rational thought process has gotten the best of you in matters of aqeeda because you did not firmly hold on to the foundational that our Prophet Muhammed has left us with. And that is the problem. We need to be 100% committed to that. If we are not our faith is easily shook.

    I suggest you study at Bayyinah Institute: http://www.bayyinah.com. Ustadh Nouman Khan addresses many of the misconceptions of Scientific Miracles of Quran.

    May all be well, and may He guide and keep you on the siratal mustaqeem.

    – Rahima

    1. “I do not believe emotions or feelings are any less than facts or figures”

      No reading necessary past this point; these are the words of a delusional or wildly uneducated person.

    2. Jesus’s message teaches Enlightenment, just not to get too busy with so many rituals. The OldTestament fulfilled in the New Testament. Which religion on the planet doesn’t have devotions, prayers? We can talk about days nights all Islamic rituals and prayers. Christ’s teaching, life, death, and resurrection do not add up to Quran’s claim. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=935Hx1pr2FE

    3. Rahima. Beautiful. I’m a muslim and i like to challenge my faith everyday. I study about hinduism and Christianity and atheism too like evolution theory and all that. And then after a lot of research i finally got on a point that yes God exists and yes he loves us. What world is to you is according to your own perception. This man thinks that there is no God and is there was any, he would have not left us in this misery. But this misery is brought up my man himself. WE, the people are destroying our earth. We are bringing chaos. We are doing every evil thing and then we blame God. Yes he has control over all of us. But how will u distinguish evil and good then?

      1. Yes, people are screwing up the planet, and we are also making life really shit for each other. However, we did not invent cancer, nor did we invent parasites that burrow into the eyes of children and turn them blind, nor did we invent the Gineau worm – a parasite that grows inside the human body until it becomes a worm and then forces its way out through our skin, a process that is very debilitating and can take months.

        If there is a god then it is a god that excels in creating cruel ways in which to make innocent people suffer. Of course you will say “it’s a test”, but what is this test exactly? To see who is willing to love their torturer? And what of cancer and parasites in animals? Is their suffering both cruel AND unnecessary, or do dogs get to go to heaven after all?

        1. This earth is not the heaven and it’s supposed to be our temporary stop.

          If we want the earth to be the heaven – only then, everything here to be as beautiful as it can be – free of misery, life of full of love and compassionate.

          But again, the earth, our life now – is not meant to be the heaven. It’s a life to distinguish who will have more faith than the others. All the misery is there – so that good people will have the chance to offer help. It’s a manifestation of good versus evil, where without evil – we will not know what good is.

          Dying itself is terminal for everybody – how we die however is there based on our genes, by our luck (qada’ and qadr) and by our effort. The shortness of time is a manifestation the value. If we have infinite time to live, I don’t think we will value time and do as much good as we can in this very short average 30,000 days of our life.

          Can you the beautifulness of all these?

          Being an atheist to me is achieving 50% of the real thing. Why? Because shahadah started with ‘there is no god..’

          The other 50% – ‘but Allah’ is what distinguished you and me. Of which, depending on our perspective and Allah’s guidance.

      2. Well, Allah states in the koran that he wants to cut off fingers. For me it is therefore clear that he cant be any good.

    4. All scientific miracles fail every time, so stop the nonsense. Sure, mohammed split the moon ha ha and he flew to Jerusalem. In both cases there was witness, well the donkey…
      I hate it if people tell me to read this or that book to save my soul.

    5. Generally, converts are more fervent believers than those who were raised in any given faith or ideology. You do make one good point, which is that if God did not exist, humans would create God in order to fulfil their psychological needs for purpose, order and understanding. Certainly, this was true of our primitive ancestors, who needed to make some sense of a world they could not understand. Later, and of course in modern times, religion has been used to both control population and to justify misdeeds of religious leaders and “prophets”. Today, science has shown us the truth in many matters and has exposed the falsehoods of the world’s folkloric creation stories, including those of the Quran and the Bible. Rational thought processes are not something to be feared or suppressed. Having faith ought not mean wearing willful blinders and promoting ignorance. There are no “scientific miracles” in the world. There is only inadequate understanding to explain the world in its entirety. As humans gather more knowledge, we are able to pursue truth and rid ourselves of the ignorance that permeates the work of the authors of the Bible and the Quran. When people wrote these books, it would have been impossible to believe that the blueprint for our physical bodies could be contained in the DNA of a single cell, or that shared DNA would should common ancestry with other species. Even my grandmother thought it was heresy to acknowledge that humans are a species of animals. Today, those who believe the earth is flat, or that the earth revolves around the moon or that evolution is not real are social fossils desperately clinging to the disproven notions of a bygone era. As a species, we need to rid ourselves of notion that texts from a thousand years ago can encompass all knowledge or truths. The authors only had limited resources at their disposal. The creators of religion were searching for truth and understanding. This may even have been true of Mohammad when he founded Islam. We should continue looking for truth and pretending we have all the answers because we submit to the mind-numbing tenets of a religion is not going to help us gain a better understanding of the universe, and having the unmitigated gall to pretend that we know God’s will is just pure human hubris. We can only continue on the journey our ancestors undertook to gain a greater understanding of the world, but our understanding will continue to have limitations and flaws.

  8. To follow up,
    Check out the Study Quran translation and commentary by Dr. Seyyed Nasr
    http://harperone.hc.com/studyquran/

    From the Introduction

    The message of the Quran is at once sapiential and practical, legal and moral, concerned with everyday problems as well as the spiritual and intellectual life. The Sacred Text deals with every aspect of human concern, from the deepest intellectual questions and the most lofty spiritual issues to the mundane matters of ordinary life. It is at once therapeutic and didactic. It is a message of glad tidings (bishārah) and also of warning (nadhr). That is why it calls the prophets, including the Prophet of Islam, both harbingers or bearers of glad tidings (bashīr) and warners unto humanity (nadhīr). It is a guide for every conceivable aspect of human life, action, and thought and yet also a comfort for the soul of believers. As the central theophany of Islam, a theophany whose every aspect is considered sacred, the Quran is the source of all that is properly speaking Islamic. As the living Word of God, it is the ubiquitous companion of Muslims from the cradle to the grave and provides the spiritual and religious space within which they are born, breathe, live, and die.

    I did not want the work to be confined or limited confessionally, ethnically, or geographically. It was to be universal and at the same time traditional, that is, expressing traditional Islamic views and therefore excluding modernistic or fundamentalist interpretations that have appeared in parts of the Islamic world during the past two centuries. I set out to produce a text that reflects how Muslims have understood the Quran during their long history and how those Muslims who remain traditional, which means most of them, do so today.
    —Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr

    1. @Rahima : What is Awra of slave girl ? Why it is not same as awra of Muslim woman ?

      If you suggest following Nauman Ali Khan… In one video he says that ‘slave girl is like a wife’.
      Muslim preachers job is to present Islam’s sugar coated version, to make muslims feel good about deen.
      Slave girl is not like a wife… One Example.. Sharia allows that she can be “pawned” to a money lender. Till original owner of slave has not paid back the loan amount, money lender can use this slave for his enjoyment.

    2. Stop telling people that they have to read this or that book, especially if it is about islam. It is so silly.

  9. Funny and sad. U left islam because you found few things hard to understand compared to hundreds of beautiful things (primarily message of Oneness of God that was preached by every prophet) u understood in the religion that gave u peace and serenity in life?

    And u have the audacity to claim that God isn’t involved in His creation?

    “Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?” (surah al-Muminoon)

    You will surely face your Lord Sameer…

    May Allah makes us firm in His religion until death.

    1. If there is a God, he sent a revelation that is full of errors. Why would I worship this God? In reality the Quran is the invention of a 7th century man. God isn’t there to throw all (80%+) of humanity in hell

      Plus, this threat of the day of judgement coming has been looming for a long time. Trust me it’s never coming.

      1. Your day of judgment will start immediately you die and buried …..everyone of us know that one day we will die ( no doubt about it ) ….who is separating soul from the body if God doesn’t exist ? Who is controlling rain ,Sun and moon and everything that move in a controlled manner? There is no doubt God exist and He is the controller of everything…..you made your choice and please don’t misguide us with your baseless excuses

      2. @admin I suggest you hold your calm and not let ignorance and irrationality get the better of you. So just as @rahima said and let us know if you still feel the same way about Islam.

        #PEACE

        1. Is this a threat? Are we ignorant and irrational and do we we have to shut up. Are we in danger now, is this your moment to kill those who left islam. How dare you end with peace. Islam, foe ver middle ages, killing, bizarre ‘scientific miracles’

      3. Yes, only the best in characters and eman go to Heaven. Here’s an analogy do ever one go to Harvard? No. Only the brightest students get accepted. God has given humanity free will to choose from right and wrong. If 80%+ of humanity is evil and Satan has dissuade them from God. Then God reserved the right to to punish them hell.

        1. Dear Kaiba

          We are sorry to inform you that your application for Harvard was rejected. Unlike the mythological place named heaven we do have limited space so cannot admit everyone no matter how much we would like to.

          Because you have failed to get in our operatives will be around to your house shortly, sink steel hooks into your flesh and drag you off to be burned to death.

          Have a nice day

          Allan

          1. @steviejongh i can see you don’t know how to use your brain correctly you cannot just criticize our religion just like how we don’t criticize yours mind your religion please and have some respect and samir you are been a threat to Islam so its better that you back off you shall meet your lord

    2. you believe in a god that is omnipotent. yet, what did he choose to do with that omnipotence? he chose to create people and send the vast majority of them to hell fire. people are horrified when they see someone burning alive for a few seconds. it’s traumatic and hideous and appalling. you choose to believe in a “merciful” god that chooses to do this to most of his creation – not for seconds, or hours, or months or years, or decades, or centuries – but for ETERNITY. And his omnipotence entails that had he chosen to he didn’t need to do any of this. What a grand delusion to believe in.

    3. It’s ironic that theist’s are so scared that their deity may not be real and thus require others – including a book – to validate and justify their theological addiction. Remember, if your god is all-powerful, omnipotent and omniecient and has “written” everything, then you have no right to cast judgement upon others since that is the role of your lord.

    4. I also explore and came to the conclusion that a god who in the koran says that he wants to cut off fingers and chop heads is a monster.
      The not so holy koran is full of sadism, especially the sick acts of the scary prophet, just read the very reliable hadith of the camel thieves.
      The real founder of ISIS is the murderous prophet.

  10. Greetings from a fellow ex-Muslim. It’s funny to see the snarky comments from the Muslims directed towards you and to know that I would have some time ago left similar comments.
    I wish you all the best!

  11. I love your blog & just wanted to say thank you! It’s not easy putting your face out as an ex-muslim online–it’s hard enough coming out to our families ;D I am inspired by your courage & wish you nothing but the best xx

  12. Hello there, fellow exmuslim here! Nice blog you have. I find some of the Muslim arguments here interesting. They try to scare you back into Islam through threats of judgment day and meeting Allah.

  13. There is nothing courageous or brave about leaving Islam at all. There is no danger or harm to someone who leaves Islam even to lose employment, while leaving Islam is often very lucrative to those who join the Islamophobia network, write books, and become popular. The courage and bravery are those who have follow the truth from the Lord with sincerity and we see attacks on hijabis daily by those whonare devoutly opposed to God and those who follow Him.

    While some may not be eloquent in refuting the simpleton arguments made on this blog or elsewhere, their lack of eloquence is not indicative that they are wrong in any way. Since when has ability to debate or look down at others become the criteria of being upon Truth?

    The truth is always known by the facts and does not stop being the truth due to a few people who fail to comprehend it and thus choose to leave it. While the owner of this blog claims that Muslims do not leave Islam due to not questioning and rationalizing, millions of people every year enter Islam, as I myself did, from sincere questioning and research every precept of religion and Islam. Fact, logic and rationality are proofs of God’s Truth more than a handful of people who leave Islam while claiming such.

    1. Ali, I recognize you. I used to follow you on Facebook, and I also donated to your cause you were fundraising for – I believe it was for the Royingha people. Welcome to my blog.

      Whether its courageous or not depends on the circumstances does it not? Was it courageous for Raif Badawi for creating a form to people to discuss Islam openly despite being imprisoned and whipped for it? Was it courageous for Avijit Roy or the other four Bangladeshi bloggers hacked to death for leaving Islam?

      Is it courageous for the hundreds of people all over the world who are subject to torture, imprisonment, or even being murdered by extremists for speaking against Islam or Prophet Muhammad? Maybe not, according to you.

      I know that for many Muslims to leave openly is a very courageous thing. They might not lose their jobs or be imprisoned here in the west (thank God), but a lot of them do lose bigtime. Some of them are subject to losing their families and being boycotted by their loved ones. A lot of them would lose their wife for taking this step. You can read any ex-Muslims story like Jamila’s (who has not told her family) or Hassan’s (not his real name as he is also in hiding). To say it requires no courage to leave Islam is not correct and shows how disconnected you are from the reality of these people. If that was the case, the majority of ex-muslims would not be in the closet. I have had at least two people email me from my Facebook who are atheist or agnostic, but they are in the closet. They don’t want anyone to know as (ironically) one of them might lose his job at the Islamic school, and the other might lose his wife. They didn’t even tell me their own names.

      Regardless, it doesn’t matter to me whether its courageous or not. I am doing what I think is right.

      As someone who does not believe, I am sorry about the attacks on hijabis by those ignorant brutes. I am in favour of people practising their religion freely and without harm. You may be surprised that many atheists are against Islam, but will defend your right to practice it (as long as it doesn’t harm others of course).

      My simpleton arguments may not convince an intellectual person like yourself, but it may resonate with others.

      Islam, or Judaism or Christianity for that matter, will never be able to answer the fundamental questions of why we are here, what conscience is, or how the universe and our planet came about because they were among humanity’s first tries to answer these questions, and they did so on the basis of the knowledge available to them at the time. You cannot find any scientific revelations in the Bible or the Quran, but only things that were already known to Mankind. It’s like trying to work out Einstein’s theory of relativity with the scientific knowledge of Ancient Greece – it is not possible because the worldview of the Ancient Greeks was too flawed to allow a platform for developing this theory. We know what volcanos are, we know how tsunamis come about, and we know that the earth is not at the centre of the universe and that our galaxy makes up only a negligible fraction of the universe. Despite what contemporary scholars in all the Abrahamic religions claim, the religious explanations are an antithesis to the scientific explanation. This is evident of the fact that this novel spin on Abrahamic creation myth(and other myths) has(have) been a reaction to the scientific discovery of the last 100 years. Is the word of God going to keep shifting shapes as science advances? Surely, the last revelation of God is perfect and non-alterable? It’s squaring a circle.

      1. My comments about the courageousness were speaking of the common trends of our times rather than the exceptions; as well as the selective empathy non-believers generally have in this issue where one who does what they agree with is brave while those who are attacked for believing and following God are asking for it and should go back where they came from or just be more like us attitude. There are exceptions to this among all groups. So while the nations we’ve seen based on Atheism have committed the largest genocides ever (Mao, Stalin, etc.) and were extremely militant in cleansing those who believed in God, this does not mean all Atheists are like this. As you said you and some others can disagree without wanting to kill me, though when I had first converted to Islam there were the opposite to this when some had made an attempt on my life. I recognize such are the minority in general and was only commenting above on the general selective empathy and the common trend that leaving Islam in our times is generally safe while the opposite of choosing to follow God has a much higher rate of oppression and so forth. In general we are not disagreeing here and I am not disconnected that both exist.

        As you stated your arguments against Islam would not convince people who know better but may resonate with those more ignorant. Similar to how you could never convince a mathematician that 1+1=3 but you may be able to convince a 3yo of this who has is not properly learned. The point made above is if your known specious arguments which are incorrect will only resonate with those who you can take advantage of some level of ignorance than why knowingly spread this?

        Arguments such as pointing to historical similarities or problems in early Tafsir are proof against your arguments, not for them, if you reflected sincerely. In the first case of true events there will obviously be lore about it in other cultures while when God narrates this in revelation it will be accurate. Having the former does not invalidate the later. In the second case such as where the God narrates in the Quran something and early mufasireen misinterpreted it but later ones did not due to scientific knowledge this is a proof in and of itself that the Quran is divine. The people at the era of the Quran and even after it had this error and had the Quran been from men of this error it would have explicitly stated that wrong belief like the fallible people who wrote those tafsirs and interpreted via their bias. The fact that hundreds of years later when the truth is known people see that the Quran spoke the truth and did not say this error as the people had said. So the fact that early mufasireen got a scientific matter incorrect when they interpreted a verse is more of a proof that the Quran is divine than against it. Yet if one is bias and wants to come to the other conclusion they can force themselves. This is not squaring a circle as the original verse quoted in this case was a square already, people’s understandings were the circle… and had the Quran been from men it would have as well. The difference here is sincerity because logic and rationality lead to God not away from Him.

        It is sometimes hard to communicate on sensitive matters online because you lose the intonation and other aspects. I want you to understand this is in no way an aggressive response and neither was the first comment. Rather it’s sincere dialogue to help clarify the above matters and was never intended as a debate. Debates have the intention of fighting, winning, etc. and are rarely beneficial. Sincere dialogue to share the truth with the intention that we will change ourselves for the truth when it is given is the only beneficial path.

        While you mentioned a problem with creation being imperfect with sin and such this is another issue in perception because this is among the perfection of creation that there is always improvement and a destination for seeking our betterment. That we can pass this test as agents of good when there is bad like you were when you helped the Rohingya in the past.

        One may not understand something but that does not imply that it is wrong.. After skimming through the blog I saw that all points brought are surface level misunderstandings that can be resolved through knowledge and sincere reflection. I sincerely hope for the best for you and you are welcome to message me anytime on my Facebook you mentioned before at Facebook.com/alicamarata if you like. May God guide us and grant us the best in this life and the next, ameen.

        1. “So while the nations we’ve seen based on Atheism have committed the largest genocides ever (Mao, Stalin, etc.) and were extremely militant in cleansing those who believed in God, this does not mean all Atheists are like this.”

          I don’t know much about Mao, but he uses the words “god” quite a lot in his poems to be an atheist.
          Stalin on the other hand was an atheist, left the monastery where he was destined to become a priest.
          It’s quiet impossible to accuse atheism of anything, it simply the lack of belief in a deity, it’s not a religion or a life philosophy, no one can live as an atheist.

          There is common between atheists other than the lack of belief in the supernatural, that is why it’s quite difficult to have people unite under an atheist flag, unless it’s done to counteract the arrogance of another religious minority.

          The Christian Church during Stalin’s time had the control of the minds and will of 95% of the population, they were infiltrated in the government, education, law, military, finance etc.
          Any totalitarian leadership would have to come to terms with the gigantic power.
          Stalin attempted to destroy the grip that the church had on the people, quite a silly move, because you can destroy churches, kill priests, but you cannot destroy a belief. In fact Stalin wasn’t capable of reducing the 95% Christian population by more than about 5%.

          1. Errata corrige: “unless it’s done to counteract the arrogance of another religious majority.”

        2. Also, those “atheist regimes” weren’t really atheist. They tended to peddle their own form of religion.

          I don’t believe any sort of war, killing, genocide etc. was ever started “BECAUSE of atheism” or “FOR atheism” it is always other socio-political reasons.

    2. Ali, all that is and will be is god’s will and you have no right to speak on behalf of god. all that has and will happen is god’s will as he has “written” all in the sands of time and etched upon the soul of humaniyu.

      1. He is a bad joke. He lied about the meaning of ‘nour’ as if it meant reflective light, just to create another ‘scientific miracle’ in the koran.
        But he is also real fun, especially when he starts mentioning endless bible and islam texts. The dumbos in the room get hysterical, dr naik looks like a miracle himself. But is all bla bla. Sad human being.

    3. ‘…and we see attacks on hijabis daily by those who are opposed to God and those who follow him’

      LOL!!! What, did they get called some names after the latest muslim atrocity??

      Meanwhile WE see barbaric, vicious attacks that actually leave human beings maimed or blasted to shreds almost daily – from people who fervently believe in Mo/allah and the fantasies contained in that little green book of arabian ignorance. Idiots who talk on and on about ‘peace’ – yet never experience it or realise they should look for it inside themselves.

  14. hi akhi, i have come to know that you left islam. i pray allah to guide you to islam. Shaytann plays to humans in many ways and he has succeeded with you in some way, but allahu akbar, allah is the greatest.

    my only suggestion to you. for you to believe in allah there is a good way. it is the seerah of prophet muhammad (saw). get an authentic source. i am sure by the end of the seerah you will find back your way to islam insha allah. it is allah who guides the people. i pray to him to guide you. do reply to me

      1. hi akhi so you have heard the seerah. do you think prophet muhammad faced all the hardships for just social reform. can any man in the world do that. did you not wonder all the miracles that happened in his life?

          1. oh brother why on earth would our prophet (pbuh) face extreme hardships by claiming that he is the messenger of allah and that allah communicates to him through jibreel. why did he do this all for 20 years of his life. did you not ponder this brother

          2. I am sure because he believed he was reviving the religion of Abraham. Also he benefited personally in terms of power, obedience, respect, and became the leader of the arabs.

    1. Save this line for an unwelcome burp at meal times:
      “Shaytann plays to humans in many ways and he has succeeded with you in some way, but allahu akbar, allah is the greatest.”

      Doesn’t add anything useful here.

      1. Satan has nothing to do with the quest for truth. If God exists, I would expect him to encourage us to use our minds for critical thinking, and nothing should be above criticism, even God.

        1. If Allah is true then Allah would be impossible to criticise.

          If Allah is false then it would have to be impermissible to criticise.

          Which one do we observe in real life? Impermissible.

    2. Well, mr allah wants to cut off fingers. Mohammed was a sadist (the very reliable hadith of the camel thieves). Conclusion: allah and mohammed ate horrible.

  15. I do not comment, but I looked at a few of the responses here About
    | Abdullah Sameer – My Journey From Islam. I actually
    do have a couple of questions for you if it’s okay.
    Could it be just me or does it seem like a few of these comments look like they are coming from brain dead individuals?
    😛 And, if you are posting at additional sites, I would like to keep up with
    you. Could you list of every one of all your public
    sites like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?

  16. Very insightful read. Indeed, you were a better muslim than most others who are muslims (certainly can say for myself).
    Some questions and comments, I hope are ok to ask/make and none meant to be offensive.

    If you do claim the existence of God, how do you interact with HIM, what would make you think if God himself appeared before you, to say you would accept HIM?
    The reason why I ask this, is that I believe, there is always a leap of faith no matter what happens to make anyone believe in existence of God. It is why it’s called blind faith.
    Second, if you do feel very significant (as a human race), then really we are quite insignificant in the context of the universe(s) It doesn’t jive that the world as it is despite human civilization in it’s 6000 years struggles to understand the complexities of earthly existence let alone the universe(s).
    As humans we are limited by the 5 senses that help us reason and understand, outside of those senses are mysteries that are explained somewhat by religions, and something I guess humanity will discover over time.
    There is a story in Islam that gives a reason of existence. You could argue it doesn’t paint a great picture for the creator from human context.

    I am raising all points that are in my my mind, hopefully you will find further insights and post relevant articles in your blog.

    1. Mohammed was not lying when he said that he is receiving revelations – only thing is that he was suffering from Temporal Lobe epilepsy. Do check on net – the after effects of this disease.

  17. Abdullah,

    Thanks for messaging me on linked in and informing me about your blog. I have read a few posts and can say this much. Although I have a serious problem with how many muslims behave, including fellow muslims who were threatening and negative to you about your decision, and even though I see where you are coming from in framing your arguments, what I look at is simply this (for myself). Results that I am achieving in my life are heavily influenced by forces outside myself. For example my ability to type this message to you alone requires influence beyond my conscious control ie millions of cells (actually billions right) and nerves yada yada yada. Then when I look at my kids lives, my wife, my relationships, my business affiars, and so on I recognize how little control if any I do have on the outcome of my affairs. And yet so many things work out to results I pursue even without my constant intent and control. Then I experience things not working out as well and when I seek what I believe to be the creator’s help I notice a response that causes life matters to align again.

    So although I do not fault you for looking for the truth and searching high and low for consistency, and I dont feel it wrong to look at inconsistencies with some serious thought, my realization about imams and religious teachers is that their understanding of islam is an interpretation of an interpretation of an interpretation, for heavens sakes we are now 1400 plus years away from when the quran was for your arguments sake, supposedly revealed. Two (2) factors keep me in the faith when all else fails:

    1. I know I am dependent on forces completely outside my control and best explanation.

    2. I know the quran has not been changed after 1400 years because if it had, that would be the easiest proof in the world.

    Every other inconsistency I chalk to part of Gods way of testing the creation to see who they are going to lean on ie themselves, each other, their own understanding or lean on the creator for understanding. I realize I have leaned on myself and other human understanding for way too long so I have decided to lean on the creator for understanding. Now I am relatively new in this space so in all fairness I need some time to test out whether I am on the right track or not. I have recently discovered the power and benefits of repentance something even 3 imam friends of mine could not give me their methodology about. Listen our clergy are far from perfect and the quran is far from straightforwardly understood or explained. However, as long as i have my personal evidence for a higher power that created me and sustaining me I will have a hard time to leave the faith. So I sincerely ask the creator of the universe to guide me to the truth with signs from the creators’ existence and I look forward to keeping in touch with you through this forum.

    No matter what as my brother in humanity I wish the best for you and cant write you off either.

    Take Care and Peace!

  18. I am an ex-muslim as well. Congratulations! Welcome to the world of reason and rational thought. I’m glad you removed the mental shackles and hope the best for you.

    I can say one of the stories of the Quran that really got me thinking was when Al-Khidr killed a little boy in a brutal fashion for the possibility of the boy leaving Islam in the future. And Allah says he’ll just replace the boy with another son like he was just a toy That is a sick story, disgusting and also the first contradiction I noticed in the Quran. I asked someone, I think it was a teacher, “I thought kids are innocent.” His answer was Allahu A3lam. This was obviously an unacceptable answer for me. The Quran is full contradictions and clear scientific errors. I really do not see how other Muslims can rationalize this book or religion.

    When I really researched it, I found out the truth is that it was all man made and the Quran (and Islam) is simply a sloppy rip-off of the Torah, Bible, arab paganism (kabaa and kissing black stone), Persian, and Greek myths.

    Best of luck.

  19. Hi a very good post. I am an ex Muslim in the closet still. And the more I have looked into Islam I have realised it’s just another man made religion. The only arguments people have is emotional ones or fear to scare you with hellfire and Allah’s punishment. Why did Allah leave us his final message 1400 years ago and now that’s it. And it is something that is eternal and can’t be changed. Even though human behaviour social norms do. The Muslim world has been in decline for the past 300 years intellectually politically socially economically. Any state where Islam is given political power they are socially regressive and some of the most autocratic and repressive regimes in the world. If you leave Islam in a Muslim majority state you will be killed if you speak publicly about it. How is that a peaceful religion that is so insecure that any open critics are to be killed. In the west you get people who demonstrate for Sharia and shout death to democracy. They don’t get killed because it’s their freedom of speech. Where is the freedom of speech freedom of expression in the majority of Muslims countries. Where patriarchy and misogyny is rife and I know apologists will say that’s culture not religion but Islam or any religion influences culture especially after 1400 years. They aren’t separate but mixed and why is it that patriarchy and misogyny are so rife in Muslim countries despite Islam being apparently the best for women. Why aren’t mullahs and religious leaders speaking out against honour killings against enforcement of the Hijab disowning of rape victims. Child marriage domestic abuse. Female circumcision or FGM.

  20. Thank you

    Thank you all who left religion but especially the one that will still be the cause of many many deaths.

      1. I think he means islam will be the cause of many more deaths. If you look at the sad state of affairs worldwide, he’s right.
        Either way, thanks for this blog. Don’t let others discourage you. Quite a few ex muslims and perhaps soon to be ex muslims are reading your blog. There’s not enough like this out there, esp. from a former dawa guy, so your work is important and appreciated.

        1. There is only one religion that kills and kills and kills. The reason is the so-called prophet who forced his people to conquer the entire world. Sure, it is not all muslims, no, but there is no other religion that kills like this. And it is destroying the world.

  21. Greetings and support from another ex-muslim. You made the right decision. The numerous errors in the koran and the fact, that almighty Allah is not even powerful enough to protect his own word, the koran, from a goat (which ate parts of it, i.e. the stoning verse, acc. to Aisha) were the reason why I left. It’s all just made up. Any muslim would understand that if they bothered scrutinizing islam the way the scrutinize any other religion.
    Fear of hell is not reason enough to follow a religion without merit.

  22. I cant understand why its so difficult for some muslims to grasp the fact that there are in fact some people in this world who completed reading the qur’an, disagreed with its teachings and left and theres nothing more to it.

    1. I read the koran twice. My conclusion was that there is nothing divine in the koran. It is a boring book. No depth. Bizarre mistakes. An annoying prophet who has nothing interesting to say. An egoist. Many revelations were clearly purely selfish. A man of the sword, a murderer. I can continue. How stupid can muslims be believing this crap!!!

  23. Very, very sad to see you leave Islam, man. You were doing so well as a Muslim. Wallahi reading your post made me feel nothing but fear, as I am no way near as good a Muslim as you used to be!

    You’ve spoke about jinn, magic and the evil eye and said they are “just not true” but honestly I’m not advising you to go to a fortune teller but the people that do are shocked to see the magician guess impossible details about their lives. Of course these are half truths mixed in with tons of lies. There are plenty of books on magic and summoning what the westerners call “demons” and learning from them. These are none but the jinn. Aleister Crowley and tons of other occult magicians have made a fortune using black magic. The New Age movement uses meditation and magic. It’s not some medieval mumbo jumbo that only the Middle Easterners believe. Is science really improved enough to prove the jinn or other things of that nature that seem ‘supernatural’ to us today? Brother look at all the pagan nations and their beliefs. They’ve been wiped out completely. Prophets after prophets and what’s left of pagans today are ruins. What type of a ‘revolution’ can wipe out entire beliefs? We have excelled at history and archaeology yet we can only find so little information about ancient Mayans and Babylonians. Why is that part of history nothing but remains and little clues?

    I know this will seem silly to you but I’ll pray for your guidance, whatever that means to you. I fear for my own iman seeing as such a good Muslim like you used to be can just leave Islam like that.

      1. I was born a muslim, than after a while i stopped practiceing was having doubts, my life was miserable, i was very sick, got fired from my dream job, i had severe sleep insomnia, a cough that wouldnt end, many doctor visits,blood tests,exrays that all came out to be normal. After a while after my life was going down hill, i started to research a few religions, felt guilty but did it anyway, the concept of God in these religions was a real turn off, like the concept of the trinity or the validity and preservation of these scriptures. I made a prayer to God to show me whats wrong with me, after a couple of days an idea came to me to read ayatul kursi on a glass of water, when i drank the water i stood up for prayer and my body started shaking and i started crying and i got scared and left my prayer. My family at first thought i was faking it, so to cut the story short, you said jinns and black magic is not real, but it was the reason why i am still a muslim, i also have video evidence of me of what looks like an eplipetic seizure when quran is read on me and the jinn speaking spanish which i dont speak at all, truly guidance is with allah, if you ever want to see a live excorcism, contact me and decide for yourself, i have no reason to lie, i will show you my videos and you can decide wether i was faking it. Also there are many demon worshipping religions that confirm the Quran is the truth. Black magic and jinns is easy to prove its just ignored by western scientists for the promotion of a godless society. Also how can you explain the zam zam well that feeds millions of people everyday and was even scentifically tested by western scientists? Over 5,000 years the well hasnt dried up, zam zam well is a miracle indeed.

          1. Here is the challenge for the million dollar challenge .samer why did u avoid and skip tbe whole exorcism video part and grabbed zamzam ! Zamzam was only the last line of the long black magic history .
            nope!
            What.s ur problem with zulkarnine?

          2. The exorcism doesn’t prove a single thing. It’s so silly. Christian preachers have been tricking people for years claiming to do exorcisms in the name of the holy spirit. Why believe such silly things? It doesn’t prove anything.

        1. Hahhahahahhhahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha.. bro.. go see a psychiatrist. You have a good talent for writing BULLSHIT.

    1. It is very simple, if you dont believe in magic etc nothing happens. Nonsense is nonsense, period. Come on, jins eating dung etc, how backward is that. The reality is of course that the entire muslim religion is based on all this nonsense. Most of them live in constant fear.
      The first country that really started ending all this abracadabra was Holland in the seventeenth century. It took of course time but western europe is now quite free from the black magic nonsense. I have family in Egypt and i have witnessed directly how sad it is to believe this stuff. They have lists of all the people who supposedly threw the evil eye on them, the madness of it all. Life is difficult enough as it is. We dont need this magical blabla.

    2. Magic is nonsense but most muslims believe the crap. It never has positive outcomes, people just get very scared. Sad.
      Why is it that non-believers never have experiences of the magic kind?
      Why are muslims so backward?

      1. It is sad to believe such nonsense. In fact, in the society I live in, despite modern technology now, almost everything is blamed on these jins and shaytons, ie sickness, marital problems, business failures, you name it. And for people like me who dare question such thing are accused of being a near-kafir for jins etc are mentioned in quran n therefore must be believed. How shallow

    3. Jins, magic, OMG
      But 90% of muslims believe this shit, especially women.
      Non believers have never problems.
      Allah is friendly for the non believers ha ha.

  24. I have no doubt you were Muslim, nor that you now reject Islam.

    My only gripe is that you appear to have issues with Islam that arise from what scholars have said.

    If Allah subhanu wa ta’ala wanted to tell us who and exactly what was the entirety of Dhul Qarnayn’s story, He would have, and He would not have left a single detail out of it. Except, it is not relevant for us to know more about it.

    At the same time your gripe regarding magic, evil eyes, jinn, etc is also of similar nature. You link the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, but that implies that we have the science to detect the paranormal. Everyday we learn something new about our universe, how often we ‘correct’ our understanding of the universe–yet somehow we know everything (scientifically)?

    If we go back even a few hundred years ago, and we pose the same question, how many people would leave religion all together, but faster?

    I have no gripe with what science says, but you have to realize science is advancing day by day, we’re learning more day by day, and realizing what we thought wasn’t actually correct.

    I don’t think I can do anything to convince you to come back.

    I wish you the best. Allah azza wa jal did not say that He will save everyone, or even the majority, He says he will save the few.

    I hope you have success in whatever endeavor you take.

    1. So it looks like God made a flawed product. Majority going to hell, just a few saved. Those of us who chose to use our intelligence and found issues, will all go to hell. The ones who blindly followed without questioning, they will go to heaven. Strange, but okay. Thanks for the comments!

      1. You call it flawed, I call it perfect. If God wanted to save everyone–he already has that creation, Angels.

        I definitely agree, there are a ton of people that ‘blindly follow’. It doesn’t make it right to generalize it to everyone though.

        He created us–humans–with freewill. And that’s why you’ve embarked on your path, and I’ve embarked on mine.

        Some humans desire these 80 odd years and some humans desire the afterlife.

        1. So out of 7 billion people, maybe 1 billion are Muslim. The other 6 billion will go to hell, forever? Multiply that by every generation that ever existed. What kind of God creates such a large number of souls that would be eternally tortured? Does this make sense to you?

          1. And that’s coming from you. I would’ve figured you’d know more.

            Are you saying according to your knowledge of Islam, only Muslims are saved?

            What about Jesus and his disciples and his true followers from his time?

            What about Moses and his true followers and the Prophets after him and their followers?

            What about Abraham, Noah, Lot, etc?

            And the 10,000 other Prophets spoken of? And Allah says that every nation has received a Prophet.

            What kind of soul tells God that “You are my one and only Lord” and then when given the dunya forgets about Him?

          2. Okay, correction. The majority of humanity from the time of Prophet Muhammad until the day of judgement.

            By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.

            [Sahih Muslim]

          3. Yasir Qadhi’s Salvific Exclusivity:

            Because, the rational mind according to the Mu’tazilites could potentially lead to monotheism. The Ash’arites on the other hand, their typical reaction was against the Mu’tazilites and all of their doctrines, they claimed that anybody who had not heard of the message of Islam would be forgiven, even if they were pagans and idolaters. This was based on their theological premise that the human mind independent of revelation cannot judge good and evil.

            The tripartite categorization of Abu Hamid al-Gazali best illustrates this point. He categorizes mankind into basically three categories.

            Number one: people who have never heard of the message of Islam and who live in far away lands such as the Romans. These will be forgiven unconditionally.

            Number two: people who have been exposed to a distorted understanding of Islam and have no recourse to authentic information. These too will be forgiven.

            The third category are those who have heard of Islam because they live in the neighboring cities and the neighboring communities around darul Islam. And they know the reality of Islam and they have access to authentic Islamic knowledge. These, according to al-Gazali, have no hope of salvation.

            The Hanbalite position manifested in the writings of Ibn Taymiyyah, was that the intellect could discern right from wrong. And thus a saying, rational mind should logically come to the conclusion that there is an all-perfect God. Monotheism is logical.

            However Ibn Taymiyyah argued, in God’s infinite mercy and justice, God’s punishment would not be meted-out to any who had been exposed to a messenger. In other words, even if logically you come to the conclusion that there is a God, until God tells you so, he is not going to punish you if you don’t.

            Ibn Taymiyyah based this on many verses in the Qur’an such as Surat Al-Isra;15 “We are not going to punish until we send a messenger”. So according to Ibn Taymiyyah those who didn’t receive a message or received a distorted version of the message, then neither are automatically forgiven nor automatically punished. Rather they shall be tested on judgement day with a special test. In any case, from this spectrum what we see is that the main issue is whether God might possibly forgive any who have not been exposed to the teachings of Islam.

            The underlying assumption for all of these traditions is that Islam is the only path to God and anyone who consciously chooses other than Islam will simply not have it accepted on the day of judgement.

        2. So, allah puts the dhul carnain story in the koran but it is not relevant, ha ha.
          Poor muslims, they have to come up with bizarre arguments. The reality is that the carnain story was a silly story, maybe nice for young kids at bed time. It is however sad that adults don’t take the story for what it is: childish stuff.

  25. Through Islam, Allah has liberated us mere mortals of the onerous burden of critical thinking whilst keeping our intellects fit and attuned through the mental gymnastics we must practise frequently to ensure our faith remains intact.His Mercy is truly infinite.

  26. Hi abdul. Although I am Muslim, I understand your interpretations and feelings about Islam. I am not here to proselytize or judge, but rather, I just wanted to let you know that it is good to see a fellow human being on their journey towards the truth. I lost faith in Islam while in college but returned to it, albeit with a different perspective than before, one that might be considered unorthodox by many Muslims’ standards. Too bad I do not know you, I would’ve loved to hear your thoughts in person.

  27. Great, you have now decided to stop deluding yourself, many Muslims are simply not morally courageous enough to admit the presence of numerous contradictions, violent commands, deep mysogyny and outright divine sanctions to enslave other human beings in Islam. I just wonder how grown up educated people prefer cultic mentality in lieu of real compassionate existence. I left Islam 10 yrs ago. I continuously see more reasons to leave Islam, never saw a reason to return. By the way James Randi is great, all those Jinns and sorcerers are remnants from our age of uncritical thinking, Randi was a magician, so he knows their trickery/deceptive ploys.

  28. Oh you’re not alone out there. I was deeply touched my your story. It is somehow close to what I have went through. I am 27 years old born and raised in Saudi as a true muslim. Dedicated my life for islam only to feel that I was stabbed in the back for doing so after all this time. The prophet was muslim for only 23 years only. Which makes us muslims more muslim than he was. We actually studied his book and the books of the books after. And only with an open mind and a strong heart could someone see through the multiple barriers that actually blind us from the truth.

    It took me 3 years to actually make a decision: I am not muslim, not am I just not muslim, I believe that being a muslim insults God -if you still believe he exists- and it is paramount for any muslim to leave Islam to protect God from all the acquasations that have befell him.

    Knowing that the prophet is god’s favorite person logically leads that god truly accepted him marrying a girl 45 years younger than him, accepted the killing in his name, accepted stoning then whipping, accepted polygomy, accepted the use of curses towards the people the prophet hated like abu lahab, accepted the torture in hell that any human being would disgust and despise if came from another human, accepted that god was bipolar towards his creation, accepted that the eye could harm and the jinn could posses, accepted the repitition of useless storytelling of ancient mythologies, accepted the hatred to gay behavior even though found in all the animal kingdom. The list goes on and on. I kept on apologizing year after year for this religion fearing that I may be burnt to crisps in the never ending hell fire.

    But.. I knew i was actually protecting God -if he existed- from all what this schezophrenic false prophet has said and claimed.

    I wish you a happy life, and be careful out there. Islam has no tolerance to auch stuff. Even if you were in Canada, this tumor has spread to every country and the tolerance of intolerance has led such thing to happen.

    1. Fully agree. Did you read about about all the times that the so-called prophet wanted to commit suicide, a thing that muslims like to hide obviously. You know of course that people who time after time try to commit suicide are highly unstable, they belong in a psychiatric hospital. Mo was in all respects a very sick man. Nowadays he would be in a psychiatric insitute, getting some very heavy medication.

  29. As a follow up, I am actually an MD and very successful at what I do. I memorized half the quraan and read it more than 20 times in my life. My native language is Arabic and my father was an arabic teacher whom taught me proper Arabic grammer. Believe me when i say i treat people by reading something twice. I am more than capable of judging the quraan after all these years. A lot of these comments keep on reminding you of how you may have missed something or havent been exposed well to the true meaning. Most converts know nothing about islam and people applaud, and as you said when someone leaves islam they want you to finish every book written about this religion centuries ago, just because you may have oversaw something.

    Believe me when I say most exbelievers know more about religion than non believers.

    If people want religion as a psychological meditative form of inner peace then be it. But if this belief leads to killing , discrimination , racisim and sexism then this is a religion that should be condemned and just as the false prophet wanted people to gather to see the torture of someone who sinned, then Islam should also be put infront of everyone to see how much filth it truly contains -sorry for the language-

    1. “If people want religion as a psychological meditative form of inner peace then be it. But if this belief leads to killing , discrimination , racisim and sexism then this is a religion that should be condemned” I just feel like giving you a big hug as you said these words so nicely and innocently. I never been a muslim but grew up in Muslim country(Bangladesh) I can tell you I have seen hatred and discrimination towards non muslim. I was laughed at and bullied in school days since we were very few non muslim in the school. It was painful and every day I used to think when and how can I get out of this country. I never felt it was my birthland. I don’t feel any attachment to my country. Avijit and many other bloggers dreamt and worked for a wrong country. They can’t change the mentality and the bloody thoughts that have been deeply rooted in Muslim’s mind. Fundamentalists go out and kill progressive thoughts and moderate muslims support those killing in the web and books with their intellectual ideas. This is the difference between two practice Muslims. The west don’t get it yet even though they have seen 9/11 and very recently Paris and California shooting. I am afraid it is not too late.

  30. >my life was miserable, i was very sick, got fired from my dream job, i had severe sleep insomnia, a cough that wouldnt end, many doctor visits,blood tests,exrays that all came out to be normal.

    Does this mean anyone in a similar position who has recently left a religion other than Islam is suffering because they have left the one true religion? If not, then it’s not significant to the truth.

    > After a while after my life was going down hill, i started to research a few religions, felt guilty but did it anyway, the concept of God in these religions was a real turn off, like the concept of the trinity or the validity and preservation of these scriptures.

    But the idea of Allah, the god of eternal torture wasn’t “a real turn off”? Besides, what you like/dislike is irrelevant to reality. I dislike cancer.

    > I made a prayer to God to show me whats wrong with me, after a couple of days an idea came to me to read ayatul kursi on a glass of water, when i drank the water i stood up for prayer and my body started shaking and i started crying and i got scared and left my prayer

    So at the end of a long illness, possibly mental, you got really desperate and was willing to try anything, such as saying a magic incantation whilst drinking a glass of water….and you started to shake. Is there anything about this that could not be put down to what was happening in your head at the time? For example, how many Christians do you see passing out through the power of “Christ The Son”, why would this happen if Jesus were not god’s son? Obviously (I think you will agree) it is because the Christian believes it will have an effect on them.

    > My family at first thought i was faking it, so to cut the story short, you said jinns and black magic is not real, but it was the reason why i am still a muslim, i also have video evidence of me of what looks like an eplipetic seizure when quran is read on me and the jinn speaking spanish which i dont speak at all,

    I would like to see this video to see what extent you were able to speak Spanish. I myself have experienced picking up parts of a language without realising I was doing it, but if you were able to converse rather than saying simple things like “No”, “Please”, and “One package of potato crisps please” then it will be interesting to assess. Of course I suspect there is no full conversation, unless the exorcism was performed by someone fluent in Spanish?

    > Black magic and jinns is easy to prove its just ignored by western scientists for the promotion of a godless society.

    Rubbish! Science accounts only for that which can be measured. If these things exist then scientists would only be interested if they could either measure them directly, or measure the effect they have on things we can measure (such as moving objects around etc). There is no global conspiracy between scientists to pretend the supernatural doesn’t exist in order to bring about a godless society. The discovery of intelligent life existing in some supernatural realm would result in the discoverer going down in history as one of the most famous scientists in history. Just think about it, does it make any sense? Especially when you consider there are scientists who are religious?

    > Also how can you explain the zam zam well that feeds millions of people everyday and was even scentifically tested by western scientists?

    Every water source that ends up in a plastic bottle in the UK has been scientifically tested by western scientists, are they magic too?

    > Over 5,000 years the well hasnt dried up, zam zam well is a miracle indeed.

    There are waterlogged wells that have been around since about 5000 BCE. There is nothing remarkable about a town being formed around a water well that naturally replenishes, it’s very typical.

  31. I dont believe it …. holes in the story . make a video please to make sure you’re real . specifically since you have a picture up >> note .. “buddy” is more common in canada than “fellew” js. the owner of this fake blog might be aussie

  32. Hello,

    Infidel here. I have one question for all the ex Muslims which the msm never talk about. The fact that so many of you are “in the closet” so to speak, it would seem your voices are not heard despite the heavy progressive liberal ideology that seems to be sweeping the globe. My question is this. How do you feel about the Islamification of Europe and the rising percentages of Muslim populations in Western countries? In retrospect of the knowledge and contradictions which made you leave Islam, do you feel there is a warranted concern for the sudden influx of refugees combined with 15 years of mass immigration policies from Islamic nations?

  33. Hi Sameer,

    Hat’s off to you bro…. It takes a lot to take a different route after travelling for so long.
    It makes me happy that your not lost on the wrong road anymore.
    We are all just plain simple Human Beings not Kafur… No matter what evil lurks in the society, We always have concern and warmth for one another. No matter what our ideology or faith.
    Blessed are you to have come out of a cold blooded faith with just your desire to search for the truth.
    Pray for all our brothers to see the issues that troubled you and not turn away from the truth that If the Quran claims the truth and claims to be true… then even one erroneous statement shatters its credibility.

    Sameer, I am an agnostic and I do wish God protects you in every possible way, as you have shown a lot of courage by sharing your experience to our brothers, who one day might get onto the right path.

    Saty Safe… Stay Happy….

    1. Thanks Kevin. I don’t like to call Islam a cold blooded religion because there are many who do not understand it that way, but it does have some responsibility in the current problems that we have nowadays. Nevertheless thanks for your kind words to me.

  34. Congratulations,but until you change your name to a non-muslim name you are still being held captive. Pick anything, from any other language.

    1. Brian thanks but that’s just silly. Names are not limited to a specific religion. As time goes by if more people are irreligious this will become inconsequential. I have many friends who are nominal Muslims that carry Muslim names.

      1. Hi Abdullah, if Allah dont exist who created us? Was it abra ca dabra? Who created the universe? Theres always a start to anything. I just pray to Allah to guide you back to Islam the only true religion. A lot of Westerners are joining islam almost daily coz am sure they have realised what islam is all about

  35. Hey man theres proof in the bible if you want to talk about email me. For starters isaiah 9:6, isaiah 53, these are some of the prophecies about Jesus in the old testament many years before he came. Just read them or google them.

    1. Mate, give it up, the bible says the Earth is flat and prophecies aren’t actually prophecies if they are within the control of mankind to fulfil for political purposes.

  36. Great job, I don’t think most people realize how involved you really were in Islam, they are trying to tell you stuff that makes absolutely no sense. It takes a lot of courage to go public, welcome to the real world Neo.

  37. Hi Abdullah Sameer is there any way I coudl talk to you on a message platform.

    I just wanted to see an athiest prespective on arguments for the existence of god

      1. I did and personally their arguments are pathetically weak, for instance they say that a first cause probably exists. But that first cause could have been just an unconscious force of nature.

        I was wondering if I could talk to Abdullah Sameer in any way

        If you don’t want to thats ok as well

    1. Be honest with yourself. Instead of arguing whether or not some vague undefined god might exist, and then assuming it is Allah, try discussing “Does MY god exist”

      1. What do you mean my God. My God is the same as the Christian ,Jewish ,Zorastrian and other monotheistic god.

        The kalam cosmological argument is so airtight in proving a transcending, omnipotent, uncaused beginingless, personal being.

        1. Why do all monotheistic religions come from the Middle East? Why did God choose to speak only to ‘prophets’ from the same region? On what basis do people believe that God remains as a single entity, formless, invisible and only chooses to communicate or send messages thru people in the Middle East?

  38. Also deism is extremely stupid. Either god exists ot he doesn’t.

    The existence of free will is sufficient evidence for the theistic god.

  39. Sorry.

    Either an omnipotemt , omniscient god exists that interacts wih this world or there is no of.

    The proof of free Willi is a simple yet eloquent method of proving that God still interacts with this universe.Had god been a deist god then evyerthing would have been predetermined.

  40. answer this simple question : are you going to believe , if god comes in front of you and says : AM GOD ?

    1. Well first of all I would wonder if there was a reasonable explanation
      1 – I am being fooled by someone
      2 – I have lost my mind
      If it was truly God, what reason would I have to reject him? That being said, it’s not happening so dont worry

  41. Well this is a tough platform to talk to. Would you mind if I contact you through hangouts, or some other platform

  42. ❤Bro I’m proud of you finally you out of that never ending circle. Don’t look back just move forward. I’m happy for ya☺. Muslims will try to save you from hell fire and try to bring you back to Islam but don’t mind them. They in denial & want to keep this perfect image of Islam. Islam is going through the “reformation” time if they don’t reform like other Abrahamic religions, it will die. So, many people are “secretly” leaving Islam because they don’t wanna be killed, but You are a brave man. If, you are happy with where you are today in life just enjoy it, don’t let these religious heads pull you down. Stay with like minded people so its easy to flow. Wish you all the best bro welcome to “Rationalizers” “Critical Thinkers” & “Freethinkers”. Now, enjoy your life to the fullest & this time I know you wouldn’t feel guilty about it Peace!!! ✌

    1. Islam is the only religion existed with right path … It is completely applicable inn every era .. I challenge you to point out a single command in Islam which can not be implemented in modern times .. Kindly stop spreading fake arguments which have no sound proof .. 🙂

      1. “I challenge you to point out a single command in Islam which can not be implemented in modern times”

        Pop yourself off to do some scientific research at one of the Earths poles, and let me know how you get on with fasting when the Sun remains in the sky for months.

  43. This was a really fascinating personal account. I went to a high school where, similar to yourself, there was a massive wave of born again Muslims who practiced religion with ultra orthodoxy. I was never one of them, mostly because I couldn’t keep up, although I did feel guilty at the time. In retrospect, I realize that I wasn’t able to keep up because it was an extremely impractical way of living. It was something that was a lot easier to do while you lived at your parents house, but as I grew up I realized that there are some things that become increasingly difficult to stay away from. Most of these fellow high school mates have left this orthodox way of life, some have all but left the religion.

    One aspect of religion that I’ve never prescribed to was the checkbox format, which is the foundation of orthodoxy in my opinion. You either must do everything (avoid riba, eat halal, avoid dating, never listen to music, never celebrate birthdays), or you will go to hell. I remember I had a friend who told me that for every fajr I missed I would spend 500 years in hell.

    I believe all of those rules in Islam because I’ve come to learn that the most important part of being a Muslim is belief and humility. I believe there are certain things that are wrong because God has said so, and that is sufficient for me. Do I practice all these things? No, far from it. But I try to remain humble by accepting I’m in the wrong. This way of thinking has benefited my personal relationships as well. Sometimes, there are things for which I’m evidently in the wrong that I don’t understand. I have tried to research scientific benefits or reasons but they don’t make sense. That’s when I realized that sometimes things don’t need to make sense. If everything was rational, everyone would believe because humans are God’s only rational creations. But religion was not meant to be rational. That’s why it is called a “belief”. That’s also why I don’t argue with anyone about Islam. It’s not about whether you see the truth, it’s whether you feel it.

    I think I have always been a sufi without knowing it. One of the closest quotes to me is by Rabia Basra, the founder of the Sufism way of devotion,
    “O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell
    and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
    But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
    grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”

    I know I’m supposed to practice more, and I accept my shortcomings and try. But when I don’t, I don’t beat myself about it. My priority is on the state of my heart in relation to God rather than the perfection of my actions. I don’t mean to be rude, but I think your orthodox level of practice was a wrong way of going about Islam. In my experience of dealing with orthodox Muslims, this extreme way of life loses the essence of religion. It can make you feel distraught because you don’t see any immediate reward and it is impractical to being burdensome.

    If you ever decide to come back, explore Sufism. Thanks for sharing again and good luck.

  44. My brother Only Allah can guide you .
    Do more research about Islam and u will get to know the sincere truth about it .
    Thanks for sharing your views about my beloved religion, ISLAM, it’s your right to speak your mind and table your grievances or ideas or opinions

  45. Its literally very sad to hear that You have left Islam … Its surely ALLAH who guide everyone .. Islam is cent percent rational and logical .. It was you who was unable to understand the underlying wisdoms and rationales behind the facts and commands mentioned in any authentic source related to ISLAM .. May ALLAH guide us all to the Right Path .. We can surely have a healthy discussion on the issued you have with ISLAM … I am also a researcher on this topic and wanted to have a discussion with you . Now its up to you whether you are sincere related to Your faith .. Thanks ..
    Waiting for your reply …

  46. I quite appreciate your submission as to who u were, what u have researched through and the final conclusion of your true position now and beliefs. It you will agree that the house u are presently living in now did not just came from the blues, then someone was the architect. Therefore if that can be comprehended by u, then the world also do have an architect who design the way u see it. One thing about the the true God maker of heaven an earth is that if u truely and sincerely sick him, he definitely show himself to you. Do you believe in the God of Christianity? I simply advice u to lock up yourself in your room and go down on your knees and sincerely ask the God of Abraham to show himself to you if he truely exist. I am 100% sure that the lord Jesus Christ will appear to you. Your trial is the 1st step to meet with the true maker of heaven and earth. Best of luck.

  47. Subhana allaah brother you become mad reading and searching alot of wrong information.Allah is testing you so return to your religion and understand well with powerfull mind. Where is your wife and children? Are they muslim?

  48. Hey Abdul!
    For a time I myself followed a strict Wahabi version of Islam, thanks to my strict parents. But being a very curious mind, I ventured out to see for myself if there was a God.
    After that, my story and views are almost the same as yours, I am a proud Ex Muslim and an Athiest.

  49. wow! Allah guide those whom he pleases with and i pray that he guides u again.amazing that u R trying to understand the story of zul qarnain with your small brain and u dont know the fact that there R many places in the world that have been explored by people by time to time. if u r saying that i believe in God then why u deny the fact that he can also let the story of zul qarnain to be happen? is it difficult for God or what? may Allah guide u again. u can post whatever u want but i swear that your heart can never be satisfied.

  50. Hello, what were the doubts which actually made you leave Islam? I would like to know because I am 100 percent sure they’re gonna strengthen my belief in Islam even more. I know what is there in Quran is right for sure. Only if you could tell us the exact reason which made you leave, maybe some of us can actually tell logic behind that. You know, in Quran one Ayah (sentence) does not only have one meaning, but can have many meanings.

  51. ur story is amazing we need to see more people like u 🙂 i see a lot of muslims here so i will share my story too. I was muslim 8 years ago but non praticant means i dont do the prayers even in ramadhan i dont do all the month but because i told myself since the start i will not full commit to this religion without study all of it so, i told myself when i finish all my studies i will try to understand this religion because of course i had doubts u can not be religious and not have doubts this is impossible but me my doubts were real i really didnt like this god “allah” and how he think, but i always convinced myself that its because i didnt learn islam very well, but i mean this god who tell u to hit woman and to kill and solving problems with eradicating an entire community this is not how i saw god i didnt see solutions like that i always see peace and try to find the peace with debat and peaceful solutions and how could this almighty god could not find a peaceful solutions thats how i started to search and end up 100% atheist ofc with many other details etc… and found out that the coran is made up by a human not a sort of powerful god .
    ps: i made this not to convince you about atheism but to tell u its okay to have doubts and not beleive those sheiks and fatwas those people are not smarter than u so why beleive them and if ur good person why fear this god thats not logical . (im really sorry for my english i tried my best)

  52. Hello, After becoming an Atheist, do you believe the characters mentioned in Quran existed in real life or is this book just an art of fiction to you?
    Thanks.

  53. sorry but iam damn sure you have made up this story because you said that Quran has not provide information about future this picture is enough for you there are many many other quranic verses about future that human are unable to undertand if you have lived your life as a muslim u must have read those verses https://www.facebook.com/comics.by.arslan/photos/a.198780173507743.60275.189595927759501/1131373456915072/?type=3&theater

    and you think jinn,satan,black magic doesnot exist ???

    1. @ahsan
      In the 7th century almost everyone believed the Earth was the centre of the universe. This model meant there was a place where the stars rose, and a place every day where they fell. One place! Now if you look at the most commonly held belief at the time it is very credible indeed that the Quran was written by humans who believed things at the time which we now know to be untrue.

      Now compare that verse with the miracle claim that this is some kind of prediction that stars fall into black holes. It’s rubbish for one very simple reason, there are trillions of black holes that consume stars, whereas the Quran is written in a singular form “THE PLACE”.

      But you won’t accept this argument for one very simple reason. You *want* Islam to be true, and you will ignore everything that hints towards it being false.

          1. @The Rationalizer

            Understandable 🙂 How’s that video project you’ve been working on going? I’m personally excited for it.

        1. Nothing is being done with it at the moment. I am starting a new job this month, one I am quite under qualified for so I have been doing a lot of intensive training in the hope they don’t regret offering it to me 🙂

          1. I myself have been in a similar situation believe it or not. Good luck with that job 🙂

          2. I read your article about hazrat muhammad salllaho alehe wassalam you got only one old point that is his marriages can u answer me a single question ? he was 55 years old on his second marriage he married 40 year hazrat khadija (r.z) when he was 25 question is from 25 to 55 why he has only one wife hazrat khadik (r.z) ??

          3. Why reply option is not visible on ur comment

            i was talking about surah waqiya ayat 75 it mention places not place & dont you know stars also moves its a very old concept now you think that quran’s most topic are copied from bilble and torait & u claim that u were a muslim few year ago but how one could believe you .muslim believe that toriat and bible were also a book of god !!!

          4. Why reply option is not visible on ur comment

            I was talking about surah waqiya ayat 75 it mentions “places and destination of stars “not Place
            the summary of this ayat is ” I swear about those places where stars vanishes if you could understand this it would be a big thing Quran is fully authentic ”

            dont you know stars also moves its a very old concept now you think that quran’s most topic are copied from bilble and torait & u claim that u were a muslim few year ago but how one could believe you .muslim believe that toriat and bible were also a book of god !!!

      1. i am here for debate tell me anything & its “Places” not Place check the english translation of sura waqiya !!!

        1. i am here for debate tell me anything & its “Places” not Place check the english translation of sura waqiya
          now am more convienced about your creadibility 😛 if this model means daily dissappearance of star where the word every day is mention ? the simple english translation of this ayat is “I swear about that places where stars vanished if you could understand this it would be a big thing ” search what quran said about black holes

          http://www.answering-christianity.com/mahir/black_holes_miracle.htm
          !!!

          1. i am here for debate tell me anything & its “Places” not Place check the english translation of sura waqiya
            now am more convienced about your creadibility if this model means daily dissappearance of star where the word every day is mention ? the simple english translation of this ayat is “I swear about those places where stars vanishes if you could understand this it would be a big thing ” search what quran said about black holes

            http://www.answering-christianity.com/mahir/black_holes_miracle.htm
            !!!

          1. o sorry i though u are admin well maqaqee means “destination” and places u can ask any arabic or read transaltion of that ayat in ur language !!!

  54. May ALLAH show all of us the right path..
    Brother GOD is so huge entity that our brain is unable to understand it that’s why we gets away from Him.
    If you find it feasible may if proof it to you that accepting GOD is in you own favor.
    Let me know I will proof it to you.

    Regards,
    Ali

  55. Hello,I just want to congrat you for the courage you had to follow your mind I am a muslim myself but I am doing some researches I can not say that I don t doubt in my thoughts I do have some doubts but in my country we don t do the beard thing or niqab we have moderate and liberate islam (for those who are muslims) everyone has the right to do what he thinks is right ,to dress however he likes of course if it is not a threat to the country (at some times they banned niqab because it can be a source to pass illegal things) any way I respect your experience and I salute you. another thing: maybe God doesn t exist maybe we are all wrong it may cross our minds but all these religions and the diversity in the traditions all of this created the world as it is now. I can t deny the beauty in every religion : the thing they have left the masterpieces like the pyramids the castles the religion houses… All these religions added beauty to our world that is why I respect every religion I can t preach about Islam I m a liberate and moderate one I don t wear it I only have some faith and a lot of reseasrching but I do love all religions because we owe them the beauty left despite the wars that were caused by religions but what we are today is thanks to all the religions in the world whether we are religious or not we all share the gratitude of our existance

  56. Hi,

    So full disclosure I am a practicing Muslim.I must confess I am not really interested in your personal journey of how you found religion and then lost it but what you came across in this quest. I was wondering during your studies, did you come across the answers that all religions profess to answer. Why are we here, is there repercussions for our actions in this life ( or in an after life if there is one), why was this earth and the universe around it created (not how it was created) , what did Jesus or Muhammad gain by creating such an elaborate lie (they died near penniless and with no male progeny to inherit their ‘power’) and if there is any value in abiding by even a moral code (not religious). Moreover this is in no way to slight your intelligence but how is that millions across the globe today and many millions across the ages continued to believe in something if it is and was clearly not true?

  57. > Why are we here
    Because our parents mated.

    > is there repercussions for our actions in this life
    If by repercussions you mean some form of justice then the only justice we get is the kind we enforce ourselves.

    > why was this earth and the universe around it created (not how it was created) ,
    The word “why” enforces an answer based on an intelligent desiring something. Why is a rock?

    > what did Jesus or Muhammad gain by creating such an elaborate lie (they died near penniless and with no male progeny to inherit their ‘power’)
    No “Male” progeny. Why male? What is wrong with the female offspring Muhammad fathered, is that not a worthwhile achievement? Why do you put value on males and dismiss females. Are you a misogynist?

    For your information, Muhammad did not die penniless. He personally owned Fadak in its entirety, the land, the houses, everything. In addition to they paid him 50% of everything they earned. In what way does that count as penniless? Many people these days struggle to buy their first house, Muhammad owned a town!

    Besides, what is money for? If you want to own something you can buy it; if you want to influence your social group you can spend money. Muhammad had massive power and influence. He only needed to say he wanted something and it would have been given to him, including his adopted son’s wife…and that’s something money probably wouldn’t have bought for him. Money is just a means to what man desires, Muhammad already had what money could buy and more!

    >and if there is any value in abiding by even a moral code (not religious).
    The fact that (I hope) you wouldn’t go around raping babies if you lost your religion suggests there is.

    >Moreover this is in no way to slight your intelligence but how is that millions across the globe today and many millions across the ages continued to believe in something if it is and was clearly not true?

    Chinese folk religions: 754 to 1000
    Buddhism: 500
    Sikhism: 28
    Mormonism: 13

    The fact is there are many more people who believe something other than Islam to be true than there are Muslims, whether they believe in a different religion or no religion at all. How many million people thought the Sun orbited the Earth? Lots! Hopefully you now see why your appeal to popularity is illogical and won’t use it again.

  58. You read the entire Quran with translation and entire sahih bukhari but u weren’t aware that Islam is an abrahamic religion, that there are Talmudic references in Hadith? Come on, stop fooling everyone around

    1. Not in hadith, in Quran. And it gets worse yet. There is no historical evidence that Moses existed or the exodus ever occurred. Or Abraham existed

  59. On the authority of Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman, Abdullah ibn Masu’ud who said” The Messenger of Allah (SAW) and he is truthful, the believed, narrated to us: “…….By Allah, other than whom there is no god, verily one of you behaves like the people of paradise until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtake him and so he behaves like the people of Hell-fire and thus he enters it: and one of you behaves like the people of Hell-fire until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of paradise and thus he enters it” (related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

  60. Hi Abdullah,
    How refreshing to read/hear of your stand/stance.
    When everything seems to be Islamic-centric these days to the point when you want to vomit, what you have done is an absolute breath of fresh air!
    All l can say is “good on you” for standing up and for your honesty which is very God honouring.
    I am 65 and if you were my son l’d be proud of you!

    Nigel (Sydney)

  61. Hey Sameer,
    I just wanted to share with someone. Islam had been an important part of my life until recently when doubts began to crop up. Then I researched extensively for six month and after much heartache and pain I finally found the middle ground- I could never leave Islam but I also realised that it is not the one ultimate truth. So I see myself as an agnostic Muslim now.
    However, a few days ago, people in my house found out and were really disappointed and tried to guide me. This ripped open all the previous wounds. So I want to ask you, how do you keep your sanity? How do you get comfort? How do you overcome fear of Allah?

    1. Hi Emma. Good to hear from you! There are a couple of things you can do. One is find like minded people and discuss with them. Two is lots and lots of research. That is what ultimately made me realize all religions are made up.

  62. Peace, I hope this message reaches you and you read my comment and then inshallah respond. I usually don’t debate on the internet because most people seem to ignore points and stick to their guns. I converted to Islam and I as you have problems with many of the people that defend this religion because often times their arguments are silly, shallow or just wrong (like the scientific miracles). However those people aren’t the reason to be Muslim and neither is a false sense of security because one is “saved” but truth.

    I won’t go into details yet but I disagree with many of your arguments. To start on two points, Dhul Qarnayn and the Talmud stories. On the former, why do you believe that Gog and Magog could be found now? Some scholars have believed they already were unleashed in the time of the sack of Baghdad meaning they were Mongols/Turks. This isn’t my particular belief but it’s one explanation. Also where does the Quran say they’re trapped until the day of judgment? Only that they were confined is talked about but not what happens or what will happen. Indeed the OT talks of them as coming later in time but not in the end of times. There’s also an interesting, if extravagant, opinion that قرن in his name means century and not horn or braid. This either because he lived long or because parts of the stoy haven’t come to pass yet that’s described in the Quran. One opinion, again not my argument but one way of explaining it, is that parts of the story will happen in the end times so one century is in the past and one century the future. But again the Quran says سأتلوا عليكم منه ذكرا and the point I emphasize is ذكرا, a reminder or a lesson. So first it isn’t meant to be a thesis on science but as a moral reminder and secondly and more importantly it isn’t a full story about everything he did but a piece of a larger story, one where every detail isn’t given. Where did he stop eastward and where westward? We’re not told because it’s not the point of the story just as the location of Gog and Magog or even their identity isn’t the main point and just as your specific objection (where are they? why can’t we find them?) isn’t dealt with.

    Secondly the Talmud and more broadly the sources of Quranic narratives. This is tricky in the same way that many people claim Muslims are always practicing taqiya and essentially lying to make themselves look good. It’s an unwinnable situation since if you say good, you’re obviously lying to look good and if you say bad, it must obviously represent you. In the same way if the Quran agrees with a biblical narrative, they’ll say it’s a rip off of an older story and if it disagrees with something, they’ll say Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم messed the story up out of ignorance. By definition then you will always disagree which is unfair. Now if a Quranic story agrees with something from the Talmud as opposed to the OT where is the problem? We know that both the OT as we have it today and the Talmud was transmitted orally for a long time before being written and tweaked for a while until Jews were more strict about changing texts. So if I claim there were true events passed on in both strains (and of course in my view actual revelations from God) why would something be inherently incorrect if it’s similar to something in the Talmud. It was passed on orally and corrupted just like the OT so that there is some truth in both isn’t illogical just as scholars know some bronze age history from Homer’s Iliad which was orally transmitted and changed as well as having a rich manuscript tradition like the OT and the Talmud.

    السلام على من اتبع الهدى

    PS. I saw you say there’s no evidence of various OT prophets existing. You know we accept the historical existence of other people and events based on much slimmer evidence right? Written sources are evidence, just as the Iliad actually described a real war albeit with a lot of details filled in and later additions and mistakes (famous chariot example is a good example if you’re a classical history fan like me). I mean for example Jesus is in the gospels, and Josephus. There was the famous inscription with the name of David or Solomon that was discovered and the writings in Hebrew discovered in Egypt. Just because I don’t agree with Zoroaster, Buddha or Confucius doesn’t mean I can simply say they didn’t exist. (As a side note some of them could be prophets but it’s an example. For good examples of possible legitimate prophets see the king of the Toltecs Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl and the Egyptian Pharoah Akhenaten. Quite interesting how monotheism keeps popping up in different areas.)

    Thanks for reading, this stuff is important but at the same time so interesting.

  63. Islam and religion in general is 10 years behind when it comes to internet propaganda, there is no website showing all the discrepancies in so called “islamic criticism” online and providing rebuttals to them because for now Muslims don’t care meanwhile people are wasting millions of dollars to “criticize” Islam (the boogeyman of the century) and fedoras are parroting the same sources in comment sections This is a good example of peer-pressure and propaganda making people leave religion and shows the need for religion to use the same type of shitty online propaganda and circlejerks because why not.

  64. Assalam U Alaikum,

    Whether Muslim or not, the best way to greet is Assalam U Alaikum, so I said it.
    I Al Hum Du Lillah an a born Muslim, and have memorised the Quran, pray 5 times a day in a mosque, give charity, and follow Islam thoroughly.

    It’s very sad to hear that you’ve left Islam, and it’s a pity, that you’ve closed the doors to Jannah yourself. I can’t believe a person like u, with a very religious and pure background could end up leaving Islam.
    As u said in today’s video, no sane person would put his hand on a burning oven, similarly no sane person would want to jump into hell, only an insane person would. Here, u are completely INSANE! You actually left Islam, I mean, I still can’t believe someone could leave the religion of peace, prosperity, love & the true religion. You have literally asked to jump into hell. I would like to have a personal talk with you related to the leaving Islam topic, I would like to ask why u left it.
    I am available 24/7, please give me a reply in my email so I can coordinate and have a chat with you personally.

    May Allah guide us all to the straight path.
    Ameen

    Best regards, Mohammad

    Assalam U Alaikum

  65. To Abdullah Sameer :

    Hi , Tell me one thing. Will u not die one day? any time soon?. If Allah does not exist who separates you from your worldy life ? One day you will be a dead body and you can not move an inch right? What will happen to you then? .

    If for instance , you are right leaving islam and you found there is no Allah after your death . You will be happy .. right ? .
    On the other side, If you find Allah is the Only Creator,Controller and Powerful on all the Creatures .. and Allah is about to punish you .. Where will you run ? .. Where will you hide ? .
    Why dont you realise there is an another side for a coin ?
    Keep all your bad irrational thoughts aside for a minute and tell me . Who is on the safe side ? . You or the Muslims ? .
    Open your heart and join the safe side.
    I am a brother of you feeling sad for your soul as you are not caring it.

  66. Sameer : Your finding of islam is not gonna help you on the day you die .You enjoy your worldly life and death is chasing you.
    Return to Allah as still you have chance.

    1. And death isn’t chasing you Mr. Imthiyaz? Or is it that you are trying to build fear in others hearts by using the word ‘death’. The portrayal of Allah is very much human-like in Quran.

  67. Can anyone ( especially) to Muslims tell me what is GOD ? ( To open up the debate )…

    Leaving any religion is personal choice so I got nothing to say. But reason why u choose to leave Islam is something all the human being should do. Follow your own conscience support by investigation, analysis, study , and evidence etc, by doing it world will be much better place to live. If anyone follow just one book blindly, emotionally narrow mindedly is very dangerous for self and others as we can see what is happening around the world.
    i m more than happy to debate with anyone but please not emotionally, because once we got trapped into emotional we cannot function properly especially our mind…

  68. Hey guys, an Ex Muslim, who still hasn’t come out THAT openly but am gradually getting there. But one thing is for sure my insides are totally NOT for it anymore. I joined this Blog to may be give myself more courage to come out confidently. There are LOTS of things that have caused this change in me and those aren’t useless ether.

  69. Islam is like the Hotel California, you can check in anytime you like, but you can never leave. Apostasy is not a good thing in Islam.

    It’s amazing the “confirmation bias” of believers. They will simply not look at any evidence that contradicts their belief. As “proof” of their belief they produce quotations from the Quran, which they believe in without any proof or evidence!

    Any unbiased reading of the Quran along with the Sira of Muhammad, clearly shows Muhammad created Allah in his own image. (recreated Allah, since Allah was already one of the Meccan gods). A god who hates, wants to torture you forever for simply not believing in him and desires the property and women of others.

    Sameer, can I ask you a personal question? You are/ were married. What has happened to your wife and kids since you left Islam? Have you been able to have any influence on their beliefs? Specially your kids as they are so vulnerable? What about your other family members? What is your relationship with them now?

  70. As a person on the fence, I think the most compelling argument for not totally discarding Islam is the fact that Muhammad single handedly transmitted/composed it (whatever your taken is on that). In comparison, the Bible has many authors, while the Quran is believed to have one man who recited it. It was over 20+ years, but the sheer ability to get many of the biblical stories to be in agreement with (or very similar to) those in the Bible and Torah by a single man is still impressive. If it was not through divine revelation, how do you believe Muhammad was able to do all of this? There were Christians, Jews, Hanifs, and Zoroastrians in the area, but it just is so hard to wrap my head around the idea that Muhammad was well versed in all of these and combined them effectively to create a brand new religion. If you had a lot of ideas on this, I would really appreciate a post about it. Thanks so much!

    1. Same here. I do have questions about some parts of the Quran but my biggest doubt is how could a single man come up with something like that without divine intervention? There’s no way Muhammad could have authored it himself.

        1. Abdullah Sameer, you admitted than you don’t understand Arabic and yet you’re refuting the linguistic miracles of the Quran? It’s like a person with no knowledge of latin refuting Cicero’s works, or a high school student with basic knowledge of science refuting the theory of gravity.

          You stated that “The other funny thing is that when you become Muslim, nobody asks you if you know how to read Arabic, but when you leave Islam, they suddenly want you to have a PhD in Islamic theology and Arabic before you can say the Quran is wrong.”

          Again, you can question the Quran but when you reject the explanation given by scholars of the Quran/classical arabic and instead use your own views to refute a subject you have no real knowledge in, then your argument is in itself invalid.

        2. Hi Abdullah Sameer

          I want to ask if Prophet Muhammad (Pbhu)was false prophet then how is he prophecised in other scriptures like Bible, Torah, Vedas of Hindus etc…

          Thanks

          1. He isn’t. They are very vague descriptions that can apply to just about anyone, and any details that do not match Muhammad are just never talked about. For example, one of the “prophecies” is one of the songs of Solomon, but is actually a story about a woman sneaking out at night to meet her secret lover – who lives somewhere like Bethlehem.

  71. Hello, I’m Nabil from Malaysia. I’m not being judgmental here so don’t worry.

    From my personal view, (correct me if i’m wrong) the things that led you out of Islam – were questions that you can’t prove with scientific “proof”, but rather with scientific “evidence”. In which, “evidence” can change when “better evidence” were discovered.

    for now, evidence to say Islam is from God is much more compelling to me than to say its not.
    for example:
    – how on earth did Muhammad survived until the religion of Islam became complete? with no additions and editing allowed after he died.
    – how on earth the Quran can be preserved in such a way until today. (I hope you do know history of the Arabs before and after Islam – refer “the sealed nectar” or books that has good source of referencing)
    – how was it possible that the hadeeth can be recorded until today, with the chain of narrators questioned and examined carefully (until today) before saying they are saheeh or not. (refer http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/hadsciences.html)
    – how is it that the Quran consist of stories of how prophets (Peace be upon them) were being rejected, and the same manner of rejection is being used by people today? If Muhammad created it or compiled all those stories from other sources, he is the greatest genius in history of mankind to have compiled all that. and he also needs to assign his companions to really carefully to make sure it is stored well (he didn’t do this himself though).

    Anyway, it’s a good thing you’re questioning the religion and not by mere following, because that is what God wants us to do (refer Quran, – not by referring to the muslims around us).
    (Al-A’raaf: 179)
    (Al-isra: 36)
    (Al-mulk: 23)
    (Ibrahim: 21)
    Prophet Abraham AS questioned the religion of the society he was brought up with (Ash-shuara: 69-75), and Islam is the legacy of Abraham AS.

    All the “coincidence” mentioned above, are just too hard to say NO to.

    would like to hear more from you, as i believe you must have done great research before leaving Islam.

  72. I truly appreciated your independent thinking. I would like to consider you a brilliant mind to think outside the box of your religion of birth. But now if you claim to really think outside the box, why don’t you complete your research and find out about the truth claimed in the Bible? You cannot just dismiss the bible without giving it a fair hearing of its claim. You are short of the truth my friend Abdullah Sameer. Check out the Bible as a true scholar with an open mind without being bias. I am following you to see if your have the stamina to check the entire truth.

  73. two short points:

    1) learn arabic
    2) spend more time with authentic hadiths

    with blank slate and starting with the above two, I am sure your time will be spent wisely…

  74. You’ve very ignorant.

    And I have said this before and I would say this again to you.

    Whoever was once Muslim and they apostate then it is due to two reasons:

    1) They never really understood Islam to begin with and they were ignorant and lacked knowledge to questions they did not understand.

    2) They are insincere liars knowing deep down that Allah is their Lord and Creator, but they would rather disbelieve in His religion so that they can follow their own whims and desires, and do as they please in this world. They have basically taken their own desires as their Lord instead whilst knowing so.

    Now my question to you is which one are you?

    1. you need to be humble. everyone is on their own spiritual path. no need to judge anyone. I commend him for his bravery and courage to question and to think, something that Islam pushes Muslims to do all the time. If you believe Islam is the truth, you shouldn’t be afraid to question it or have your beliefs questioned. I just don’t like the arrogant and egotistical tone you have thinking you have all the answers. I’m Muslim but he is an atheist, so let him be. Don’t assume you are better than him. You have no idea what state you will die in.

  75. Sameer,

    you need to humble yourself a little bit, just because you dont know every little thing in Islam it doesn’t mean that Islam is false. Humble yourself a little man. I honestly see that most of your arguements against Islam are very weak, and if you are really after the truth as you claim, you would actually respond to the muslims who are giving you answers like Truth Seeker, etc. Honestly im not trying to judge you or jump to conclusions but I see that you are just an emotional person, who is chasing after fame, that is why you are trying to bash Islam, there is a million other ways to become famous besides bashing Islam you know.

    You also claim that you are atheist, yet you are willing to accept a higher power, how can you be an atheist and agnostic/diest at the same time, you cant you have to pick either one or the other buddy.

    Regardless most of your arguments can be summed up in one or two answers.

    Either way, if you sincerely are looking for the Truth then may Allah guide you and bring you back to Islam my brother.

  76. Okay bislimllah in regards to your core issues…

    1. Prophet Muhammad and cross pollination has already been explained to you, Yes the Prophet (pbuh) does not speak out of his whims and desires but this is only with regards to matters of the unseen concerning God, the metaphysical world, but he is still a human being just like me and you, he has thoughts and he can make small humanly mistakes. Same thing with the breastfeeding and sex issue.
    The Hadith about hereditary is actually referring to genetics, chromosomes are in the DNA which is in the male/female fluid so if the male chromosome proceeds the female one then the child looks like the father and vice versa.

    2. The creation myths and geocentric earth in the Quran. The mistake you make Sameer is that you use science as your measuring stick for absolute truth, when science itself is based on theories and continuously evolves over time. Having said that this is the beauty of the Quran it is worded in a way that is able to appeal to 7th century belief and not contradict modern science and vice versa. This is why the quran is vague because it has to accommodate for both beliefs of the ancient and modern, the the Quran specifally said the earth is round no one would have believed in the prophet pbuh and vice versa if it said that the earth was flast then there would be a contradiction. Just think about that.

    3. Regarding Evolution, Creation, and Adam… Again it is called the THEORY of evolution, it is not called the FACT of evolution, who is to say that this theory wont change in the future. Yes it it a working model and there is no contradiction with believing in CERTAIN aspects of evolution and Islam. Islam doesn’t comment on the existance of dinosaurs but yet we still can’t deny them because we find fossils. In the same way Allah knows best but believing that Adam was in a line of the homo species does not contradict Islam because before Adam pbuh was created there was a livable period on earth so it doesn’t contradict to believe in evolution. I dont know how this was a reason for you to leave Islam lol

    4. Dhul Qarnayn in the Quran – first of all no one said that He was Alexander the great and it was an opinion and not a fact. Secondly just because we can’t find the gate of Gog and Magog are you really going to use this as an excuse to leave Islam seriously? lol I mean there are a lot of things we believe in but we cant see these days, like math, oxygen gravity, etc, yet we know that these things exist. Allah didn’t mention the location on purpose so that people don’t get involved in irrelevant matters (what difference does it make if we found them or not) I mean do you want to start the apocalypse or something?? Allah kept it hidden for a reason.

    5. Abrogation in the Quran, with regards to the verse you quoted, it was speaking about previous scriptures and not from the Quran itself, yet this is a difference of opinion among scholars some laws where abrogated and changed to help the society stabilize and gradually progress because they would not have been able to change so quickly just like with the example of prayer and alcohol. I honestly don’t see what the issue is here.

    6. Muhamamds just in time revaluations (Really Abdullah? you copied and pasted this from answering-islam, you really want to use this as one of your arguments im not even going to answer this one because it has been refuted already lol, you poor poor soul.

    7. Embryology in the Quran is correct and there is nothing wrong with the statements in the Quran you are just don’t want to accept that the statements are accurate, get real man. It is explicitly stated and completely accurate.

    8. Linguistic miracle in the Quran, I saw the so called chapters that you brought forward and they are a joke and laughable, sadly you cant comment on this aspect of the Quran because you are not even an ARAB so how could you claim that the Quran is not miraculous linguistically (rather you take another stupid atheists word for it) if you were sincere you would learn Arabic yourself and then see what the Quran really say, what a pity.

    8. Jesus in Islam – this arguement was really funny and I am surprised how this one got you to leave Islam, if anything it should strengthen your faith in Islam. Your logic doesn’t make sense bro, your saying that because accounts of Jesus in the Quran match older historical records then the Qurans record cant be true. What kind of logic is this man? If I have a Windows 10 computer, can I logically say that this version of Windows is corrupt because it shares 95% of the same programming code as Windows 7 or Windows XP for example? this claim you bring forward is ridiculous!

    I feel really sorry for you man your arguments are lame and are a joke! If you don’t to believe in Islam thats fine that is on you, but don’t delude others with your nonsense! lets see what becomes of all your ignorance. If you don’t believe in Islam, will atheism help you? you will just be sad and depressed because you know it deep down inside you need God and you are nothing without him, you think your intellect and science is so superior and you think you know everything but your only following your false whims and desires!

    I hope you really wake up man before its to late for your soul.

    May Allah guide you brother,,,

  77. And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace,
    (Quran) Al Furqan Ayat 63.

    Say, “What would my Lord care for you if not for your supplication?” For you [disbelievers] have denied, so your denial is going to be adherent.
    Same soorah last ayat .

  78. Hi Abdullah Sameer

    I want to ask if Prophet Muhammad (Pbhu)was false prophet then how is he prophecised in other scriptures like Bible, Torah, Vedas of Hindus etc…

    Thanks

    1. There is no direct mention of Mohammad in the works you mention and no one who believes in the sacredness of those texts believes that Mohammad was a prophet. Pretending that vague or veiled references to Mohammad exist in these texts seems more of an act of desperation, than an actual argument worthy of consideration.

  79. Firasath, its a lie that muhammad was prophecised in veda or any puran. Even it is a lie that he was told as a righteous man from desert.

  80. Hello Abdullah

    I just discovered your work. You looked familiar, I am from near Toronto. I remember buying Light Upon Light videos and growing up quite religious. I ended up more on the Wahhabism end before I left it because I realized it was sheer lunacy. Now, after the death of a dear cousin, I started asking questions about the lingering doubts in my mind. Though I have had too many paranormal and supernatural experiences to be an atheist, I’ve realized much of what I know about Islam has been filtered through celebrity preachers etc. The sad things is many of these men are now being outed for being sexual deviants, rapists or being engaged in illicit affairs outside their marriages. So that put an end to me listening to these people.

    Currently, I resonate with new age spirituality & sufism. It’s helped me understand that I am more inclined to the metaphysical and mystical aspect of things. I’m probably a Sufi or something similar to that.

    This is to say that I know what you did was difficult. I’m against harming others if they want to believe something different. I believe you are brave. You are creating a space for people to question. You are creating a place to people to learn more and get out of this box of just believing because we are told. And, as I would tell myself when I was researching outside the “safe” bubble, if what I believed was the truth then there is nothing to be afraid of. I, too, was told many times that asking too many questions or researching too deep could cause issues. Looking back, that was stupid. How can knowledge led you astray? And even if it did, am I not an adult with discernment? Am I not allowed to think for myself?

    The truth is a lot of Muslims are scared. Most are not proficient in their faith and have the same “basic” understanding they are accusing you of. They worship their identity. Islam is an identity for most. That is why they are very defensive. Many have not done the deep spiritual work to purify themselves which is what their religion came down to teach them!

    Currently I’m grappling with what Yasir Qadhi said about Quran preservation. I know he came out and apologized about his past viewpoints but he and his “group” back in the day did a lot of damage to many young Western Muslims. But I digress.

    I did meet with a man a while ago named Harun(Aaron) Sugich, who became Muslim(not sure if he still is) who mentioned that 99% of the texts Muslims have weren’t even translated from Arabic. Couple that with Saudi propaganda and their persistence to wahhabi-ify everything, who knows what we even believe is true?

    I believe knowledge is a human right and those who are interesting in evolving should be given that right. Though we are on opposite sides of the faith spectrum, I just wanted to let you know that I understand and respect you for trying to create a space of tolerance, open discussion and acceptance upon fellow human beings.

    peace
    M

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