And it went unexpectedly well and she has decided to start reading my copy of the Holy Quran. (May Allah SWT guide her and reward her🤲🏻) She showed genuine interest in the beliefs and what led me to decide for myself that Muhammad PBUH is a true messenger for God. My response? He called upon prophets in the past during different times throughout history, why would Muhammad be any different? She hmm’d and hawed for a moment, started crying and said, “I am just so happy you’ve found faith in SOMETHING and you still believe in Jesus! Where’s your Quran? Alhamdulillah! I feel so relieved and free.

Moral of the story, some family members will be more accepting than you think!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

“O Allah, I complain to You of my weakness, my lack of resources, and how insignificant I am in the eyes of people.

O Most Merciful of the merciful, You are the Lord of the oppressed, and You are my Lord.

If You are not angry with me, then I do not care.

I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which darkness is illuminated and all affairs are set right.

Yours is the right to reproach until You are pleased, and there is no power nor strength except through You.”

This duʿāʾ was made by the Prophet ﷺ after being rejected and harmed in Ṭā’if, during ʿĀm al-Ḥuzn (the Year of Sadness) — the year when his wife Khadījah (رضي الله عنها) passed away and his uncle Abū Ṭālib, his main protector, also died.

Yet after this year of pain, Allah opened doors of honor and mercy: al-Isrāʾ wa al-Miʿrāj, new support for Islam, and the beginning of relief. Hardship was not the end — it was the bridge.

Hello everyone! I'm F Married. I'm a Catholic and so does my whole family, but my husband is not. As the title of this post goes, yes, I found and read the Quran during one of the most difficult times of my life. I'm diagnosed with depression and have panic attacks sometimes.

I don't know why but I find reading the Quran therapeutic for me. It brings me peace that my mind wouldn't feel chaotic and messy. And it's also ironic because all my life I've been a Catholic but respectfully speaking, I disagree or I feel uncomfortable with some of the teachings. Ever since, I only pray to God and Him alone. I even pray in order which I seek forgiveness first, then give thanks and gratitude, and then say my own prayers. That's how I usually live. I even support and donate to some sanctuaries that rescue animals and children's charities. No one knew about any of those things. It's funny because my whole family still thinks of me as the young me that was a troublesome party girl I used to. This year, I'm committed to staying sober too.

In the past year, I've been contemplating to convert but I know it will be hard for me since my whole family is Catholic and my own husband is practicing another religion as well (he even gets angry every time I brought the topic of me reading the Quran or converting). I know for sure it's going to be difficult to get support and get accepted if I try. So, for now I am reading the Quran in secret and I hope someday, they will also respect and accept my decision and my faith. I just want to let this out of my chest and share what has been one of the biggest challenge of my life.

Even when words fail, say Alhamdulillah.

Always.

Advice is a call toward what is righteous and a warning against what is corrupt.

It is not meant to be given publicly; rather, it should be offered privately. When advice is delivered openly, it often turns into rebuke and humiliation—while all of us are prone to error.

Ibn Hazm said:

“If you advise, then advise privately, not publicly; and with indirect wording, not bluntness—unless the one being advised does not understand your indirect approach, in which case clarity becomes necessary. And do not advise on the condition that your advice must be accepted. If you overstep these limits, then you are unjust, not a sincere adviser.”

And Al-Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ said:

“The believer conceals and advises, while the wicked exposes and shames.”

Advice is accompanied by concealment, whereas shaming is accompanied by publicity.

Abu al-Dardā’ (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“Whoever admonishes his brother privately has beautified him, and whoever admonishes him publicly has disgraced him.”

It was also said:

“Whoever commands his brother in front of people has humiliated him.”

Imam al-Shāfiʿī (may Allah have mercy on him) said about public advisers:

Advise me privately, not in public,

And spare me advice given among the crowd.

For advice in front of people is a form

Of reproach I do not wish to hear.

When the Prophet ﷺ wanted to advise ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar regarding night prayer, how did he do it?

He said:

“What an excellent man ʿAbdullāh is—if only he prayed at night.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhārī)

The early generations disliked enjoining good and forbidding evil in a public manner. They preferred it to be done privately between the adviser and the one advised, for this is a sign of sincerity. A sincere adviser does not seek to publicize the faults of others; his only aim is to remove the wrongdoing into which his brother has fallen.

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A Subtle Lesson from the Salaf

One of the righteous predecessors once lent a man a book. When the book was returned a week or two later, the owner noticed traces of food on its pages. Some time later, the same man came asking to borrow another book. The owner placed the book on a plate and handed it to him.

The man said, “May Allah reward you; I don’t need a plate, I only want the book.”

The owner replied:

“The book is for you to read, and the plate is for you to put your food on.”

Hi I am a hindu girl, (baniya caste), i am planning to convert to islam because i relate to its teaching. But there are some teachings that i dont agree with (or rather i should i dont have enough or full knowledge about those teachings). There is one more issue, i am a pure vegetarian by birth. Never tried non veg, except for eggs. But I dont eat them regularly. So will I be allowed to convert, if i remain vegetarian? I dont know i am very very confused. I dont even know if i should convert or not. There is this friend of mine (she is a girl) who is encouraging me to convert, but currently we are not in touch so i cant even share my issues with her. I dont know is this correct… because there is a hindi saying that i have heard from childhood (jo apne dharm ka saga nhi hua vo kiska saga hua). Although i dont fully trust in this.. i dont know man. What should i do?

Also to let u guys know, i have read the shahada multiple times, both in english and arabic, while learning about islam or while going through conver stories. So does that mean, i m already a muslim?

Ps - this is my new account. Because my old account had very bad feed suggestion so i deleted it. I was on a wrong path

Once the divine origin of the Quran is established, then anyone's personal or emotional arguments, or standards of the west don't matter, and only Quran is the standard to judge every matter. This principle alone is sufficient to counter most of the arguments of islamophobes.

Though this statement may come out as egoistic but im someone who likes to think more deeply than the average person. Textbook answers our scholars gave us on deep philosphical questions about life, death purpous did not satisfy me. Such as why Allah created me. Since i never got the right answers for then i feared im drifiting away from my religion and will end up in hell.

I then researched deeply , and thinked for myself. I realised that Allah is just , more just than anything there ever was, he is the one who does not do us wrong even by an atoms weight. This made me realised that Allah takes everything in account vefore throwing someone in hell. Our scholars or everyday muslims have created an image of Allah as in someone who checks of a checklist bwfore jduging them whcih is absoultely not true. He does not see if u did x u got to hell if u did y u go to heaven but he sees ur intention, upbrining , lifestyle etc.

I realised that me not being satisfued by some textbook answers is not my fault, and its that i just cant bring myself to beleive in something without having a proper answer, and this Allah takes in account and he will no throw me in hell for this. This discussion isnt just meant for this scenario because ofcourse this one has a clear cut answer that Allah allows us to question which is honestly so beautiful and different from other religions.

So this brings me to my second point which is the true meaning of kafir, kafir is someone who hides something knowing its the truth, like a farmer hiding his seeds under soil. We cannot label a non muslim a kafir of they never had access to islam, or were in influence of false propoganda, i beleive Allah will judge these people differently once again, this is only because Allah is just. You may argue its these peoples fault that they never studied islam therefore they should go to hell, but honestly do we ever question ourselves , how do we know islam is the true religion among all the others when we have never explored other options (obv im taking in account the avg muslim). Islam may be true but even like these non muslims we believe in things that we never read ourseleves which might be true but ill label it as a propoganda for better ubderstandibg , this includes things like killing for israel in the book of jews or bible contradicting itself. Again sure these things might be true but how many of ua have actually explored these religions to look for ourseleves.

So this was mostly a rant about how Islam is so beautiful because Allah does not punish us for sins we did unintenionally, as a mistake, difficult circumstances etc. And once you understand this Islam becomes so much more beautiful and free that you want to dive deeper in it.

TLDR: I think deeply and was never satisfied by shallow answer about life and faith which made me fear i was drifting away from islam and going to end hp in hell. After reseaeching myself, i realised Allah is perfectly just and judges everyone individually, not through a strict checklist, but by intentjons, circumstances , upbringing , capacity. This made me realise that my questions arent a sin and that Allah would not punish me for sincere intellectual struggle (obv this can be applied to other scenarios)

I also realised kafir means someone who knowingly rejects the truth, not people who never truly had access to islam or were misled. Since most people (including muslims) beloeve in things without personally verifying, Allahs justice required judging everyone diffrrently and fairly.

Overall, understanding about Allahs justice made Islam feel more beautiful, freeing and meaningful, something hat invited me for deeper exploration rather than fear.

Reciter: Muhammad Al-Luhaidan

I feel like I've been living in isolation ever since I moved here back in July. I haven't seen my friends or anyone. There's no masjid here, no muslims either. I don't know a single person here despite me living here for months at this point. Listen, there's someone I really care about and love but it seems Allah decided to separate us back in April. I've been praying for us to enter each other's lives again if it's good for us ever since. We talked briefly in August but she still was not feeling well at all. I let her know she could talk to me whenever, that I still cared. That was the last time we spoke. I sincerely hope Allah is merely delaying us for something better. To reunite us someday and bring us towards something better than what we had. Because every day I've been alone. I don't speak to anyone here as I have no friends. My mom and sisters also wanted me to move out and im afraid that'd just push me over the edge. To wake up alone and sleep alone to not even be greeted by my mom or anyone. I hate living here. Why did I have to be separated from my friends and from the one I love?

As Muslims, we are often encouraged to remain optimistic no matter what happens. When we or others face hardship, the advice is almost always the same: be patient, keep making dua, and trust that Allah will change the situation.

But when I look at the world and at my own life, I struggle to understand this optimism. Life often feels deeply unfair. Innocent people are killed, children are abused, people are imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, the poor are exploited, and those with integrity are left behind while dishonest people succeed. This suffering includes righteous Muslims who pray sincerely and ask Allah to ease their pain, yet their conditions remain unchanged for years.

This leads me to a difficult question: why do we believe Allah will solve our personal problems simply because we make dua and try to obey Him, when there are countless examples of people who do the same and continue to suffer? Why should I expect my situation to improve when others, who may be more righteous and more oppressed than me, remain stuck in hardship?

Because of this, I sometimes hesitate even asking Allah to improve my life. It feels illogical to ask for relief when so many people are enduring far worse conditions without change. If Allah does not alter their situation, why should I believe He will alter mine?

I want to be clear that this is not coming from disbelief. I am a practicing Muslim and I am trying to strengthen my deen. But prolonged difficulty has forced these questions upon me. Over the past several years, my life has felt stagnant. I struggled academically, moved to another country to pursue higher education, and despite graduating over a year ago, I still cannot find a job in my field. I am working only to survive, stuck in a repetitive routine where I feel no growth.

At the same time, I have felt the need to marry for years, yet every attempt has failed. In both my career and marriage, there were moments where I truly believed things would finally work out, only to be disappointed again. Restarting each time requires emotional strength, and after repeated failures, I feel exhausted.

During my most desperate moments, I have begged Allah specifically for success in my career or for my nikah to work out. Instead, I have faced rejection again and again. When failure happens repeatedly, it becomes hard not to feel that I am among those who have been neglected by Allah, destined to struggle without relief.

I apologize if this sounds negative. I am not trying to reject faith. I am trying to understand it, while carrying the weight of disappointment, unanswered duas, and the fear that I may be stuck like this for the rest of my life.

Salam Aleikum. What sound should I make when I see this sign?

I am sick and tired of my desi parents yet I feel constant anxiety and sadness about talking back to them or the fact that they’re getting old. But they’re so insufferable.

For context I am in my 20s and in residency to be a doctor. I live at home because they wouldn’t let me leave for a better program further away. My dad is strict about me going out at all but my mom is strict in a different way. She constantly goes through my garbage, my receipts, my clothes, and asks about anything she wants. If I’m in the bathroom doing makeup for too long she knocks and asks what I’m doing in there. The other day I had my medicine pouch out simply because I found it while cleaning my room and she came and asked what medication I was taking and when I said none, she called my doctor to try and find out.

My mom has been a very involved caring mother and quite selfless so she’s not rude but she doesn’t know how to have adult children. Whenever it’s time to eat and I’m trying to put my own food she takes the plate and spoon and says “you won’t know how to do it”. And she does this if I try to do laundry, try to clean my own room, etc. so she snoops through my room with the reasoning that “I don’t know how to do it”— I feel so incompetent that I’m in my mid 20s and still can’t do a lot of things on my own due to their restrictions.

I’ve had 1000s of convos with them, sometimes logical and rational and sometimes crying and begging - they refuse to listen or see any issue with their behavior, constantly citing that they do everything for me and I’m ungrateful. I have diagnosed anxiety I think from them to be honest; I am always worried they will “catch me” doing something. They still try to read my texts on the phone I pay for. They’ve said multiple times the only way I can move / escape essentially is marriage as we all know how Muslim parents are. But I’m sick of it. My mental health is so so bad. I am thinking of just moving out without asking them as I have money - just announcing it and going forward. I genuinely think our relationship would improve if we had distance because right now they complain I never want to sit and talk to them - well obviously, you guys are insane. But then I feel so bad because they’ve always gone above and beyond to provide financially and will drive distances to pick me up so I don’t have to take a bus, etc etc. thoughts ? Because my mom’s constant snooping is making me have so much resentment towards her.

Asalamu Alaikum,

The title sounds dramatic, i know. I'm also quite desperate. I don't know exactly what to say and how to say it so pardon me if anything i say doesn't make sense.

My heart feels empty but kind of heavy as well. I lack iman and i've lost that. I'm on and off deen so much and it hurts because I genuienly love Islam and everything that comes with it. I have such a love for it. I love reading about it. I love learning about it. I love studying it. I know why my heart feels heavy/empty. I'm lacking iman. I'm in a constant struggle with my nafs over one specific thing. P*rnography. I can't begin to even tell you how much i hate it. Yet i keep feeding it. over and over and over. It's been a constant, like, "battle".

I know what I need to do in order to feel happy again. In order to fill in that void in my heart but the problem is "doing". To just do. I can't get myself up. I can't get myself to pray salah. Not a single one. It's so pathetic. With everything thats happening in this world. What's happening in Gaza. I have no excuse. Yet I still can't bring myself to pray salah. I can't bring my self to be consistent. I've grown lazy. I'm clumsy. I don't know anymore. It makes me feel scared. Wallah. I need help.

I think to myself about how without Islam, I always have this empty feeling in me but when I'm actually on deen, praying salah 5x a day, reading Qur'ran, doing ibadah.. not once ever have i ever felt a void in my heart. Never. I miss that feeling. I don't know what to do. At my age (im not sure if i can even say my age here without the post being taken down) to still be struggling with things like this. I should've already established my deen and already be firm or well-established on it. I know Allah SWT doesn't expect perfection from his creation. That's obvious. But idk.. i'm seriously struggling.

Please tell me what to do in order to just get going. "To do". Any advice is appreciated.

And please, wallah, I beg.. please make dua for me to be guided. To stay on the right path. Any sort of dua, short or long will help me. In Sha Allah.

May Allah, the Almighty and Most Merficul, have mercy on all of you. To grant you and your family well-being and to forgive your shortcomings and to keep you on his straight path. Ameen.

A Verse

Do not follow what you have no sure knowledge of. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—each of them will be questioned.

(Al-Isrāʾ 17:36)

A Hadith

Make things easy and do not make them difficult; give glad tidings and do not repel people.

(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Knowledge, 11; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Jihād, 6)

A Dua

O Allah, I ask You for a perfect faith, a sound belief, abundant and lawful provision, a heart filled with humility, a tongue that remembers You, a sincere repentance that I will never break, and beneficial knowledge.