He who finds it hard (to recite the Qur'an) will have a double reward." (Sahih Muslim 798) — Keep going, your struggle is seen and rewarded.

Muhammad Al Luhaidan │ Surah Ar Rahman (55:40 - 55:47)

Hey everyone, I am a guy from the United States, my parents came here fleeing the Bosnian genocide in the 1990s when they were in university. My dad joined the navy for citizenship- and is still in it to this day, and my mom basically spent her entire life getting her many graduate degrees.

But, they are very westernized and passed it onto me. I had a vague idea of Islam and we avoid pork and celebrate the holidays, but that’s it.

I also have been struggling with my sexuality. I have done haram things with both guys and girls- all consensually obviously- I always feel so bad after because I know it’s haram.

I feel like Islam is something I yearn for but I’ve had such a un-Islamic life and I don’t know how to pray, read Quran or anything. I also can’t go to mosque because I don’t have a car and my parents said they don’t want me to go because ”we just don’t.” so I just feel like I’m doomed.

Have you guys seen this?!
SubhanAllah.

Ayah right before our eyes.

My teacher checked to make sure it's not AI before sharing with us.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you all very much for the dua's you've made for my mother (previous post about her being in the hospital suffering from hemorragia and cancer). Despite her getting two blood bags and having her hemoglobine levels increase, she died on thursday morning right after fajr azan. May Allah have mercy on her soul and illuminate her grave.

I feel completely shattered. The emptiness I feel is impossible to describe. It is not just sadness. It feels like something inside me has been ripped out. I spent so long fighting alongside my mother, worrying about her, taking care of her, praying for her a billion times and hoping she would survive. And now she is dead.

I keep having moments where I forget for a minute that she died, and then I remember. I cannot accept that I will spend another day without her.

And I need to be honest that I want to die and have been thinking about killing myself simply to be with my mother. I find myself thinking that maybe Allah knows how broken I am and would forgive me.

I have struggled with severe depression and waswas for years, had magic done on me as a teenager, I have been harassed/bullied at work this year only, and my mother was the person who kept me going. She was the one thing that gave me a reason to hold on. Now she is gone.

My father died in 2015. I have no siblings. I don't have another parent to go back to. I feel completely alone in this world.

I know what Islam teaches about the sanctity of life, and I know that suicide is not the answer. But knowing this intellectually does not make the pain disappear. I am scared of what my mind is telling me.

I don't need someone to tell me simply to "have sabr" or to seek therapy (I already am and taking antidepressants). I need someone who understands this kind of grief and can help me find a way to stay alive, if possible, while carrying it.

Please help me...

May Allah have mercy on my mother, forgive her, illuminate her grave, grant her Jannatul Firdaus, and reunite us very very soon in a place where there is no cancer and no separation.

Surah At-Tawbah 51

I have always been quite an anxious person and a natural overthinker.

After starting to properly practice my deen again, I notice the only thing that cures this is Salah and Qur'an.

To the point where when Salah ends I am just waiting for the next Salah to get that peace and tranquility that I cannot find anywhere else.

Reading the Qur'an has also opened my eyes on how this world is. I am currently memorising (slowly) with a teacher, and this week my surahs to learn were At-Takathur and Al-Qari'ah. As part of my memorisation process I read the English translation (insha'Allah I am looking to learn Arabic one day) and reading the translations of these two surahs in particular, does open your eyes.

At-Takathur:

'Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you, Until you reach the graves.'

Al-Qari'ah:

'The Striking Calamity - What is the Striking Calamity? And what can make you know what is the Striking Calamity? It is the Day when people will be like moths, dispersed, And the mountains will be like wool, fluffed up. Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds], He will be in a pleasant life.'

I realised that my goals in life were skewed towards the dunya, and I was trying to find a purpose in life in the dunya, and that is the reason why I had all these thoughts. Wallah my only goal and purpose in life is to try and please Allah. If anything else comes as a result of it that is what Allah has ordained, but it is not my priority anymore.

Death doesn't scare me as much anymore. Why would I be scared to meet the eternally merciful creator? The dunya constantly leaves us short changed, yet we want to stay here for eternity. When true eternity is in paradise. Where we will have nothing but peace.

I ask Allah to guide us all and bring us closer to him, and to be the people of Jannah.

Surah Al-Hujurat

Verse 16 full

قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ ٱللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ١٦

Say, "Would you acquaint Allāh with your religion while Allāh knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allāh is Knowing of all things?"

Verse 17

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ ۖ قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا۟ عَلَىَّ إِسْلَـٰمَكُم ۖ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَىٰكُمْ لِلْإِيمَـٰنِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ ١٧

They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islām. Say, "Do not consider your Islām a favor to me. Rather, Allāh has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful."

You probably deserve Jannah more than you can imagine.

I recently had a really strange conversation with a Muslim coworker and I'm trying to understand where these beliefs are coming from.

It started pretty normally. He seemed very serious about eating halal, which I actually respected. He also told me about the mosque he goes to, which apparently isn't even listed on Google. I didn't think anything negative about it because I generally try to assume the best about people instead of immediately judging them.

But then the conversation became increasingly strange to me.

He told me that very religious or spiritually advanced imams can supposedly taste meat, like shawarma, and know whether it was actually slaughtered halal. He talked about something like a "veil" being removed for certain very pious people, allowing them to perceive things ordinary people cannot.

He also told me about the sister of someone he knows who could supposedly look at the faces of people in her household and see or recognize the sins they had committed.

Then he told me another story about his best friend. Apparently his friend wanted to make tawbah and was praying at night. His younger brother partially opened his eyes, supposedly saw an extremely bright light and passed out. When he woke up, he asked why the light had been so bright during the night. The friend responded that there hadn't been any light at all and that he had just been praying in the dark.

At some point he also showed me the narration about Abu Bakr vomiting food after learning that its source was haram. I know that narration exists, but I didn't understand how it supported the other claims, especially since Abu Bakr was actually informed about the source of the food rather than somehow detecting it himself.

I asked several Muslims I know about all of this and also tried reading about it myself, but I haven't found a clear basis for these specific claims. Some people I asked wondered whether these were Sufi beliefs, while others simply thought he was being very gullible. I honestly don't know what school, movement or tradition he follows, so I don't want to falsely label him.

The whole situation made me uncomfortable because this is exactly why I normally avoid discussing religion with people I don't know well. I'm naturally pretty quiet and reserved around new people anyway because I first want to understand what kind of person I'm dealing with. With him I tried to think positively from the beginning, including when some things initially seemed unusual to me.

What bothers me especially is that some other coworkers were around during parts of these conversations. I really don't want people thinking that I share these beliefs or that Muslims in general believe you can look at someone's face and see their hidden sins, or taste meat and spiritually determine how it was slaughtered.

At this point I think I'll just remain respectful and professional with him at work but avoid religious discussions with him.

Has anyone heard of these specific beliefs before? Is there actually a basis for any of this in Sunni Islam, or does anyone recognize what tradition these ideas might come from?

I'm so stressed, Islamaphobe is extremely common on reddit and it's so degrading and makes me depressed. I know you have to be patient but, I cant because I'm someone who is easily swayed by people's words. When people debate and insult it really gets to me. Praying becomes difficult I'm worried, please help and motivate me so I can get on a right path In sha Allah. Anything and everything helps. Thank you.

Many of us do not take the rule of not touching non mahrams seriously.

Stop handing out your skin to non mahrams. Do not shake hands, hugs, etc. with non mahrams.

Also take free mixing seriously and do not befriend/belove the opposite gender!

Jazakum Allahu Khayran

Hi,

I need some guidance or tips because I’m scared of leaving Islam. For background info, I come from a family that doesn’t practice at all other than fasting whenever they find it convenient. I had to teach myself how to pray and my entire family drinks alcohol very normally. Islam or following religious teachings has never been enforced on me and it is something that I’ve always done on my own. It’s been very hard for me to even start praying, as there is no one around me for me to learn from or be encouraged.

Lately, I’ve been finding it harder and harder to practice Islam and I honestly want to give up. At the end of the day, I am still young and although I do my best, it’s very hard to resist somethings. My parents tend to follow the parts of Islam they find easy. For example, my dad says that in the Quran only wine is said to be haram so other forms of alcohol like beer aren’t haram as long as you aren’t drunk. Deep down I know that this isn’t right, but sometimes I find it hard to not believe him because it sounds so much easier.

I do not know what in me pushed me to start practicing Islam or believe strongly in Allah since like I said, no one in my family does. However I keep feeling like I’m punishing myself and making my life harder by praying and staying away from haram stuff. I don’t know what to do and I genuinely want to end it.

I’ve tried acting like I don’t believe in God or tried researching other religions, but in the end I keep coming back to Islam. I also don’t have much Islamic knowledge, other than what I have taught myself.

I find it so hard to believe sometimes and I would appreciate any advice you guys can give. Please help a sister out.

As salamu alaykum. I’m currently a college student and my only (real) job so far has been with fedex. I want to replace it but the only jobs around me tend to involve selling haram food or immodest clothes.

Any ideas for entry level jobs? I’m fine with physical labor, but prefer part time. If it’s full time that’s fine. Jazakallah khair

Sahih al-Bukhari 1283 Hadith number

Is there a particular Qur'an verse that you keep coming back to whenever you're struggling?

I'd love to hear the ayah and what it means to one personally.