Hi everyone!

​I wasn't quite sure how to start this post, but the truth is I have a deep respect and admiration for Islam and the Arab world. I’ve noticed some posts here talking about islamophobic comments people face online, so I thought it would be nice to share some positivity and use this opportunity to learn more from you all.

​My name is Lúrian, and I’m from Brazil a country heavily influenced by Christianity. Even though I wasn't raised in a Catholic family, my mother brought me up with principles that align very closely with Islamic values: I’ve never drank alcohol, never smoked, I don’t go to wild parties, and I believe in saving intimacy for marriage (which is quite unique over here!). Recently, I went out of my way to visit a Halal Lebanese restaurant here in São Paulo, and I absolutely loved both Arab cuisine and Halal food in general.

​Even though my friends are Muslims, I really wanted to hear your perspectives too. I just wanted to remind you that despite the hateful voices online, there are people out there like me who truly respect and appreciate your faith and culture

​If you have a moment, I’d love to ask a few questions:

​I don’t speak Arabic and courses are very hard to find here. Is it okay for me to read the Quran and Hadiths translated into Portuguese? ​

What do you love the most about Islam? Hearing your favorite aspects will give me great starting points to research further. ​

I learned that there are four main schools of jurisprudence. Do I need to pick one to learn, or can I learn from all four? I was raised with the idea that the more knowledge and perspectives you gather, the closer you get to absolute truth. ​

What would you recommend for someone starting from complete scratch to learn about Islam and the Arab world? (Books, channels, foundational concepts, etc.)

​It's a pleasure to meet you all, and it will be a joy to talk and learn from you!

Hi! I’ve been getting really curious about Islam lately and I’ve started reading the Quran on my own. I’m still very new to it, so I’m honestly trying to understand things rather than make assumptions.

There are things I’ve read so far that really resonate with me and feel right in my heart, but there are also things that clash quite strongly with how I understand feminism, equality, and the role of women. I’ve also noticed that, at least from what I’ve read so far, a lot of the Quran seems to address men directly, which has made me wonder how Muslim women understand their place within the religion.

I’d really like some guidance, especially from Muslim women who have been through this process themselves. I’m European, so naturally some cultural and religious concepts feel very different from what I grew up with, and I don’t always know what is actually Islam versus what is culture.

I also know basically nothing about practicing yet 😭 I don’t know how to pray, what I’m supposed to do, or where to even start. I’m just curious and genuinely trying to learn, so I’d really appreciate hearing different perspectives without judgment.

Assalamualaikum all, First time in my life feeling totally detached from Idol worshipping it's been 2 months I haven't even saw them, i don't know what is happening with me, what is their for me

As the title indicates I am a convert and every day my heart breaks because my parents do not have the guide and will surely never have it... when I think of the possibility of going to heaven I know that we will not be able to feel negative emotions inshAllah but my heart is already in crumbs and I can already see myself screaming thinking about my family who will not be with me... knowing that I have no Muslim girl girlfriends I have my husband but if he divorces me (may Allah protect me) then I will be alone in paradise if Allah grants me I am already crying how can I overcome this?

I’ve been learning and soaking up as much as i can for about a year now, i feel like i do really believe in allah and his message, but i don’t feel a connection. how do i start forming that connection and how do i even know if it’s right for me? i feel lost.

I also worry about not being able to practice correctly or openly, if i decide to convert i wanna do things correctly but im afraid i won’t.

As a revert, my journey has been beautiful, but I sometimes struggle to separate local cultural traditions from the pure teachings of Islam. I would love to hear from other reverts about finding clarity, and from born Muslims on how you gently separate cultural heritage from religious obligations.

Keep praying even if it's hard. You're not doing it for Muslims, or you, you're doing it for Allah👍

Salam, what to do if I'm possessed?

I randomly got the desire to do ghusl today. And so I prayed. And so I got the desire to finish all prayers. And I learned and did a lot of other things good Muslims do that I never did before.

I love Allah and I feel so happy and at peace.

Also, for some reason, my hair is more beautiful than its ever been in my life lol. I guess my hair likes wudu. I thought I was hallucinating it until I got compliments on it!

Assalamualaikum. I am a student and I want to just share my experience with Islam with you all!

Reminder: THIS POST MIGHT BE LONG TO READ

I am a born Muslim and had a decent childhood. Though, these days many things have been so normalized that practicing Islam properly is considered "religious." I don't know what the literal meaning of being religious is. But I do know that I practice Islam as it should be. My household/family is not actually really religious. They do pray, do fast and read Qur'an but yet there's so much they haven't studied about in Islam.

So, as I said, my household is not religious but I try to follow Islam as it should. Since last year because of a big realization happened to me, I started self-learning Islam.

Before last year I had 0 idea about the Sahabas, Prophets A.S. and many more which I know now!

I am open for discussion and sharing my journey with everyone!

WHAT CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR?

Honestly? Many things. The more I learnt about Islam the deeper I fell in love with it. Alhamdulillah for the Hidayah He blessed me with. As a person who's still learning how to navigate through life, being the eldest of siblings and as a girl specifically sometimes things do get hard but when you are firm and have Taqwa things tend to get easier.

No, I wouldn't say easier but you tend to get more calm and satisfied because somewhere inside you, you know;

Whatever is happening/will happen is Allah's decision and it will be okay.

Last year, my Tahajjud was consistent. For 3 months I prayed tahajjud every day. Every. Single. Day. And it was the best months of my life ever!

I might be younger or older then the people reading this post. Whoever is reading this post I want to say few things as a beautiful reminder:

Sometimes you will feel distant and it is okay. Sometimes you will feel closer and that's blessing. Sometimes you will stop before committing a sin and that's you fighting your nafs. Sometimes you will feel regretful after committing a sin and that's you going back to your Lord. Sometimes you will cry, will long and yearn to be closer to Him and know that; He loves you more than I could- even anyone could express. He has created you and so you have a purpose. That purpose is being closer to Him. Even being this young. As a teen, what I learnt about this life (it is just a personal preference. I am open to discuss your views too!) So, what I learnt is that everything here is materialistic (obviously) but people do feel the pull towards the worldly things and that is okay! Because this world was made for you. But the difference is; when someone learns about how this world is not your ultimate destination, your views changes. Your goal changes. Meaning of few certain things changes too.

And this shift? This change is what will keep you grounded. Closer to Him. I've seen people who thinks that having expensive, luxurious, trending things is their ultimate goal when they will get rich. But the real richness? It's not money. It's not status. It is the heart that Allah has given you as an Amanah. An Amanah that will get you into Jannah if taken care of right.

To conclude, I just want to say that if you feel distant; do istigfar and trust that even an ant don't swallow it's food without Allah's permission and what He will do is always best for you. You are doing the best you can in this moment. Keep going and trust His process. JazakhAllah.

I have autism and I am trying to help with my sense of routine. If I were to do Dhikr on my prayer matt, instead of prayer, at the designated prayer times, would this be ok? Thank you for your help! 🥰🥰🥰

Not AI | GoodCharacter

*CONTROLLING ANGER *

*• Isti'adha (Seeking Refuge With Allah)*

Narrated Sulaiman bin Surad (رضى الله عنه): Two men abused each other in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) while we were sitting with him. One of the two abused his companion furiously and his face became red.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "I know a word (sentence) the saying of which will cause him to relax (i.e., he will calm down). Only if he says:

« أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ »

(A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem — I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast)."

📚: Sahih Bukhari 6115

*• Avoid Anger*

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to us (his companions):

"If one of you becomes angry when he is standing, let him sit down, and if the anger goes away (all well and good), otherwise let him lie down."

📚: Sunan Abi Dawud 4782 | Sahih

*• Seek Solace In Silence*

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"Teach and make things easy and not difficult. When one of you is angry, he should be silent."

📚: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 245 | Sahih (Shaykh Albani رحمة الله)

*• Remember That Repressing Anger Is One of The Qualities of Muslims*

"Those who spend (in Allah’s Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers)."

📚: Qur'an (al-Imran 3:134)

*• The True Strength*

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

"The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger."

📚: Sahih Bukhari 6114

*• Acting On RasulAllah (ﷺ)'s Advice*

A man said to the Prophet (ﷺ): "Advise me!"

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not become angry and furious."

The man asked (the same) again and again, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said in each case: "Do not become angry and furious."

📚: Sahih Bukhari 6116

https://youtu.be/t7ygefn5KrI

Hello, Assalamu Alaykum.

I am curious if anyone has any advice on how to deal with feelings of loneliness and isolation after they reverted? I live in a rural area and there is no Muslim community. The closest being 7 hours away.

It is difficult for me to reach out to family and friends because it tends to be awkward and I feel like an outlier. I also don't see people as much because the area I live in has such a heavy drinking culture, so I tend to just work and isolate myself at home.

These feelings have created a battle in me to abandon Islam and to go back to my old community. I have not been staying on top of my Salah and feel my relationship with the religion fading. If anyone is reading this I would really appreciate any advice or words of encouragement.

Thank your time.

First of all, assalamualaikum. For context, I come from a very Christian family and I don’t want my parents to know I converted to Islam. So how do I avoid eating haram food without making it suspicious? What products or foods are not halal that I should know about?

Its extremely hard having faith when I am part of the absolute minority of this religion, considering 99% of the ummah is from the other side of the planet i feel very out of place, I get backlash on both sides both from my athiest family and the very unwelcoming community, it also doesn't help that almost no one speaks English, which isn't anything wrong with them but it makes communication very hard. Plus I face discrimination for not being born Muslim.

Asalamu alaykum, im a female 19, converted almost a year ago, have been in an ongoing relationship with a muslim man before i converted. He was a big part of why i converted, he properly introduced me to Islam and i fell in love with it.

I told my parents briefly about me being muslim and covering myself in the future and they weren’t happy with the decision. I wouldn’t say they’re islamophobic they just dont want me to be muslim, wear a hijab or pray. Thats what i have the biggest issue with. I am scared to pray… I am scared of somebody “catching me” pray. My mom is somewhat understanding, but im afraid of my dad, and how itll be in the future, i dont want to break contact but if they disrespect my religion or the people i love i am willing to.

Now about the relationship. As i said i have been with my boyfriend for a year now, we’ve known each other for 4 years now and recently wanted to be halal. So we tried at first and we couldn’t. We see each other almost weekly, we dont physically touch each other anymore, we still text but i really want to commit to it fully. Ive been depressed and anxious, i haven’t really been praying recently and it’s killing me…I also dont have any girlfriends at the moment so its not like i can go out with anyone else. Sorry for the long message but i really need advice on how to fully break contact and be halal and how to deal with my parents. Thanks in advance!

I've been in a relationship for two months. Before we started, I told him I wasn't okay with starting a relationship if he was talking to other women and maintaining friendships with them. He told me that for him, it wasn't a problem to cut off contact with all women except for three: his best friend, whom he's known since high school, and two others he's known for five years, with whom he occasionally plays games and has only met in person once. He said that with these three women, he would gradually reduce contact because he's known them for a long time, while I've only known them for two months. And now, these two women are complaining because he spent the week with me, saying things like, "Yeah, you prefer your girlfriend to us," "You talk to us less because of her," and so on. Like, it hurts me, but on top of that, he's also annoyed, but he still justifies himself to them... and gets annoyed when I talk about it because he doesn't want to talk about it and just wants to think about something else... but what do you think of the girls' behavior and in general? Like, he's known them for 5 years, so... I'm wondering if maybe I'm overreacting? 😅 (Just so you know, I'm currently converting to Islam and I'm not talking to any men myself.) Thanks in advance!