OK for a Christian to perform salah? (+ other ?s)

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   I was wondering how approptiate you all think it would be for a Christian to perform the salah, or even just to pray in the salah format. I think its a really beautiful way to remember God and keep him in your heart throughout the day, and I also desire a way to physically express my love and graditude to God physically, using my body. I have some questions though; I know the prayers have to be in Arabic, and I want to be able to fully understand what I am praying, etc. But stıll, I respect Islam a lot and wish to learn more about it.

That is the short version lol, here is a bit of backstory:
 ---------------------
I am an American college student studying abroad in Turkey. I was raised in a conservative church as a child but when I was 15-16 I left my parent's church and joined a more liberal one that was more accepting of other faiths and religions (Episcopalian). At this new church I felt very at home with the other members and priests, and I went to church every Sunday and became what you would call quite observant, even though my new church didn't have many set rules in stone. Still, feeling God's love through the other members, it became like my second home.

Unfortunately when I went off to college in a different city I could not find another church that was exactly like my old one, where I felt at home. (Even inside the same denomination or sect, many Christian churches can be quite different from one another.) I admit that I stopped going to church and slept in on Sundays, even though whenever I went back home I would always go back every Sunday to my own church. But still, when at college I became kind of "non-practicing". I think what added to the problem is that my college friends, even though I love them and wouldn't change a thing about them, are mostly athiest, agnostic, or non-religious. So I had nobody to talk about God or faith with for several years after high school.

Now it is my 4th year of college and I am in Turkey for study abroad. I have become really good friends with some Turkish students in my school. I am in Istanbul so there lots of semi or non-practicing Muslims around - which is perfectly fine - but as God would have it all the friends I ended up making turned out to be quite observant and religious Muslims. You couldn't tell by looking at them but they always perform the salah and totally abstain from alcohol. They're also very well read, have answered all my questions about Islam, and are some of the nicest, friendliest, warmest guys I have ever met. Of course we all have similar progressive beliefs and they are very accepting of other cultures and religions, like I am. 

When I hang out wıth my friends, I feel truly blessed, like God's love is expressed on Earth through other people, our brothers and sisters. At first I was scared to ask them questions about Islam but one of my friends said "It would make me really really happy" if I did. I am still too afraid to ask them about whether I can pray salah though. I think they really respect the fact that I am a Christian, they have accepted me as a fellow believer of God, and that has actually made me more open to the idea of converting haha. İf they regarded me as a non-believer, I would not have felt God's love. Anyway this is a confusing time for me because my spirituality has been awakened here, but it's been through my Muslim friends. 

Anyway I will post more questions and thoughts later but any thoughts you have would be appreciated!

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Max-DC Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Starter Male Joined: 21 November 2010 Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote Max-DC Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: OK for a Christian to perform salah? (+ other ?s) Posted: 21 November 2010 at 5:42am
	I was wondering how approptiate you all think it would be for a Christian to perform the salah, or even just to pray in the salah format. I think its a really beautiful way to remember God and keep him in your heart throughout the day, and I also desire a way to physically express my love and graditude to God physically, using my body. I have some questions though; I know the prayers have to be in Arabic, and I want to be able to fully understand what I am praying, etc. But stıll, I respect Islam a lot and wish to learn more about it. That is the short version lol, here is a bit of backstory: --------------------- I am an American college student studying abroad in Turkey. I was raised in a conservative church as a child but when I was 15-16 I left my parent's church and joined a more liberal one that was more accepting of other faiths and religions (Episcopalian). At this new church I felt very at home with the other members and priests, and I went to church every Sunday and became what you would call quite observant, even though my new church didn't have many set rules in stone. Still, feeling God's love through the other members, it became like my second home. Unfortunately when I went off to college in a different city I could not find another church that was exactly like my old one, where I felt at home. (Even inside the same denomination or sect, many Christian churches can be quite different from one another.) I admit that I stopped going to church and slept in on Sundays, even though whenever I went back home I would always go back every Sunday to my own church. But still, when at college I became kind of "non-practicing". I think what added to the problem is that my college friends, even though I love them and wouldn't change a thing about them, are mostly athiest, agnostic, or non-religious. So I had nobody to talk about God or faith with for several years after high school. Now it is my 4th year of college and I am in Turkey for study abroad. I have become really good friends with some Turkish students in my school. I am in Istanbul so there lots of semi or non-practicing Muslims around - which is perfectly fine - but as God would have it all the friends I ended up making turned out to be quite observant and religious Muslims. You couldn't tell by looking at them but they always perform the salah and totally abstain from alcohol. They're also very well read, have answered all my questions about Islam, and are some of the nicest, friendliest, warmest guys I have ever met. Of course we all have similar progressive beliefs and they are very accepting of other cultures and religions, like I am. When I hang out wıth my friends, I feel truly blessed, like God's love is expressed on Earth through other people, our brothers and sisters. At first I was scared to ask them questions about Islam but one of my friends said "It would make me really really happy" if I did. I am still too afraid to ask them about whether I can pray salah though. I think they really respect the fact that I am a Christian, they have accepted me as a fellow believer of God, and that has actually made me more open to the idea of converting haha. İf they regarded me as a non-believer, I would not have felt God's love. Anyway this is a confusing time for me because my spirituality has been awakened here, but it's been through my Muslim friends. Anyway I will post more questions and thoughts later but any thoughts you have would be appreciated!

semar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Male Islam Joined: 11 March 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1830	Post Options Post Reply Quote semar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 November 2010 at 12:25pm
	Salam/Peace, Welcome Max, hope you enjoy your stay. IMHO, in Islam there is no way to tell other faith to adopt (practice) or not to adopt our way of praying. Or in other word we muslim do not own the "patent" of praying, who own the patent is God almighty, so IMHO anybody can practice prayer like what muslim do in salah if she/he fell comfortable with.
	Salam/Peace, Semar "We are people who do not eat until we are hungry and do not eat to our fill." (Prophet Muhammad PBUH) "1/3 of your stomach for food, 1/3 for water, 1/3 for air"

Sign*Reader Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 02 November 2005 Status: Offline Points: 3352	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sign*Reader Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 November 2010 at 9:58pm
	Max-DC Welcome to IC Your question is quite interesting but it might be more challenging for you as a Christian! Sure how can a Muslim tell you not to! As an adult you are welcome to praise God as He prescribed do it and do it the way it ought to be done meaning you don a fresh set of clothes after a ritual cleansing (wudu); an intention while facing Kaba/Makkah and understanding all the words of praise and supplications doing in the their prescribed physical forms...For a college student it shouldn't be hard to memorize the wordings of salah in Arabic! By doing all this you will be witnessing the unity of God and the message of of his Prophet Muhammad and that will make you a Muslim! It is a serious matter for your soul so handle it appropriately! So you need to think it through cuz Allah revealed in Quraan "there is no compulsion in religion" it has to be by free will and wholeheartedly! Peace Edited by Sign*Reader - 22 November 2010 at 10:01pm
	Kismet Domino: Faith/Courage/Liberty/Abundance/Selfishness/Immorality/Apathy/Bondage or extinction.

Matt Browne Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Male Joined: 19 April 2010 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 937	Post Options Post Reply Quote Matt Browne Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 November 2010 at 1:28am
	The New Testament is not based on a set of laws. Christians can make an individual decision on how they want to pray. Doing it in a Salah way is no problem at all. Edited by Matt Browne - 23 November 2010 at 1:29am
	A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt

Chrysalis Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 November 2007 Status: Offline Points: 2033	Post Options Post Reply Quote Chrysalis Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 November 2010 at 6:58am
	Hello Max! I agree with the answers above. Muslims don't "own" Islam. Anybody should be/is free to adopt whatever aspect of Islam they like. Also there is a saying of Prophet Muhammad, that a good Muslim is one who chooses for another what he/she would choose for him/herself. That is reflected in how we treat religion as well, Muslims are encouraged to share their religion with others :) I think it would be really nice to pray Salaat (Prayer). That's kinda cool of you. What better way to interact with a religion & its followers than through prayer! If you are willing to go the extra mile, and do it the 'authentic way' - we Muslims don't pray until we perform ablution (cleanliness ritual). We purify ourselves with water (you can you-tube it, or ask us). Its called "wudhu" or "ablution". If that is preceded by a shower - even better. Then we are in a "pure" state, which is the optimal state for prayer. (Spiritually as well as physically). If we go to the toilet, we break our ablution and need to perform one again. (we usually don't enter the mosque in a state of uncleanliness i.e. without wudhu. Its basically "washing up" but with a spiritual aspect to it). Didn't intend to confuse you! Feel free to voice if I did :) Edited by Chrysalis - 23 November 2010 at 7:04am
	"O Lord, forgive me, my parents and Muslims in the Hereafter. O Lord, show mercy on them as they showed mercy to me when I was young."

Chrysalis Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 November 2007 Status: Offline Points: 2033	Post Options Post Reply Quote Chrysalis Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 November 2010 at 7:08am
	Also, you say that your friends are welcoming & warm people. I think they would also like the idea of you accompanying them. Have you discussed with them? I would think that the majority of Muslims would be welcoming to a nonmuslim visitor, (ofcourse there are weirdos everywhere! ;) So it would be nice to have your Muslim friends accompany you.
	"O Lord, forgive me, my parents and Muslims in the Hereafter. O Lord, show mercy on them as they showed mercy to me when I was young."

ansari Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 December 2008 Location: Singapore Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote ansari Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 26 November 2010 at 8:05pm
	Max, To me your question means whether a non-Muslim can pray and perform religious acts the same way as Muslims do. The answer for that is � Muslims become Muslims because they perform their rituals the way they do now. In other words, The Almighty commands His creatures (in this case, the humans as a whole), and these commands were brought to them through Prophet Mohamed. You do not need anybody�s permission to follow these commands. If you feel these commands came from our Creator, follow them. Then you are known as a believer � a Muslim. May our Creator lead you to the right parth.

Max-DC Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Starter Male Joined: 21 November 2010 Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote Max-DC Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 17 December 2010 at 5:36am
	Hey everyone, just a quick update. I asked my friend and he said yes, he would take me to a mosque sometime when it is not crowded and show me the different positions. It made me really happy. If that wasn't good enough, I also recieved an invitation from my friends to fast with them for Asura. So I went over to their house and enjoyed a nice pre-sunrise meal, and I have been fasting all day today. It's a little tough but I think I can do it! I only have about an hour or so more to go. I'm really grateful I have been able to reconnect with God in this way in Turkey, thank you so much to everyone for the encouragement.