Warning! Revert/Convert or you want to Revert/Convert:A letter for you from a Convert

Noor El-Huda

Junior Member
A little while ago, I attended a new-muslims' group in a mosque in UK. It was a borthers only and sisters only group. The sister's group was led by a revert sister and a muslim born sister. Each filled a certain role. I happened to be there and I was welcomed to join. It went like this:

It started off as a very informal friendly meeting. We sat on a carpet and sisters bring something to share each week so we had cake and tea. While sipping tea, the facilitator asked us to narrate a moment in our lives which we found was most difficult, (or something along these lines if I remember correctly. Sisters introduced themsleves and narrated in their turns. As they shared experiences, many found things in common. Some had known each other, others were new and found themselves with people they could relate to. New muslim sisters seemed to find comfort in knowing that they were not alone.

We then had an islamic session with a topic quite relevant to the new muslims.There was questions asked, some were answered to the best of their knowledge or noted down in order to be answered the following week .
The mosque was raising funds for those that were possibly suffering financial difficulties as a consequence of their conversion. We left after exchanging emails and phone numbers with each other.

I felt the importance of being there as a born muslim. It meant that I was able to have an understanding to the experiences of a revert. I hope that more of these sessions could take place around mosques. That they are catered for reverts but to welcome reverts and born muslims toghether, so that it facilitates opprotunity of be-friending a revert, and strengthening ties of brotherhood/sisterhood. I strongly urge spouses of reverts to join these groups for the purpose of help and understanding them.

I am aware that there are Islamic lessons for new muslims, but I think it should be more than an Islamic lesson. That informal session described above was very insightful and essential. We need more of these around that provide activities such as trips, invitations, and other ideas that hlep the revert and to bring them us closer with born muslims inshallah.:SMILY209:
 

mikepan68

Junior Member
FRUSTRATIONS OF A MUSLIM CONVERT

The "miracle" of the increasing number of converts is not only that people are finding the light of Islam in an age of such darkness but that they are coming to the faith despite the actions of some of its believers.
Introduction

I have been a Muslim for over two years now. Whilst I am deeply satisfied with Islam on an intellectual and theological level, much too often I have been far from happy in my experiences with fellow Muslims on a practical level. I have faced considerable difficulties in my attempts to develop as a Muslim. Although I have made the acquaintance of many Muslims through various mosques I have attended, this has been overwhelmingly only on a superficial level. I am close only to two Muslims in the city where I live. I met them coincidentally. One is a neighbor, the other a former colleague whom I now rarely see.
Lack of Induction

Although I have a good understanding of the basic theology of Islam and Islamic history, two years after my conversion I am to some extent still struggling with the practical daily basics. According to a hadith,"The search for knowledge is an obligation laid on every Muslim."(Ibn Majah, Baihaqi). A convert needs to search for more knowledge than a born Muslim who has had a lifetime of schooling in the faith. In my personal experience, it seems that established Muslims make at best only a token effort to assist new Muslims in fulfilling their religious obligations.

To my profound disappointment, as far as my Islamic education is concerned, I have been left to fend for myself. It would seem that no mosque I have visited has a systematic induction program for new converts. The mosques in my area are all dominated by south Asian immigrants, with a sprinkling of Africans on Fridays. They are not attuned to the needs of indigenous converts. In fairness, I seem to be the only white person (i.e. convert) at the mosques I attend, so they may not perceive a need. But nevertheless, I live in a major city with a significant Muslim population and many mosques. Surely there must be somewhere where a new Muslim adult can receive training in the practical daily basics. Surely the established Muslim community should know where to refer the convert even if they are not suitably geared up themselves at the local mosque.

The Catholic Church has a thorough practical and theological induction program that is actually compulsory for people who wish to join it. The Anglican Church actively advertises its Alpha Course to attract and teach new converts. We Muslims seem to have nothing organized.

When it comes to lack of both meaningful social welcome and organized teaching of Islam for new Muslims, American convert, teacher and writer, Yahiha Emerick, hits the nail on the head in his article Ten Things Every Muslim Must Do. At number six on his list, he says:

If you see any new Muslims at your Masjid (mosque), then partially "adopt" them into your family. The convert experience is basically one of isolation and loneliness. You'd be surprised to know that most converts are outright ignored by the people in the Masjid. Beyond a few pleasantries and handshakes, they are usually never made to feel welcome or accepted. They are often cut off from their non-Muslim friends and relatives so they are doubly vulnerable. A new convert should be invited into various people's home for dinner a minimum of six times a month. Get together with others and make sure you all put the new convert on your guest list for any sort of gathering.

Internet - the good, the bad and the dangerous!

Since my conversion to Islam I have had some horrible experiences with Muslims both on the Internet and face to face. I briefly mention these experiences here as a warning to other new Muslims. The Internet can be a wonderful place for learning about Islam. In fact, since my conversion, the Internet has been my primary source of materials with which to educate myself further about Islam. There are many excellent sites, but I would caution the new Muslim not to accept the information on all sites blindly, particularly if they have an arrogant, strident or unpleasant tone or stray from plain facts and concentrate on controversial opinion or on an overtly political agenda.

I would also urge new Muslims to avoid email forums or chat rooms about Islam absolutely. There are some nasty people lurking there - self-styled pseudo scholars preaching hellfire, doling out personal abuse and decrying sincere Muslims as non-believers. I was left utterly demoralized at one time and very, very angry on several occasions. I have now unsubscribed from all such forums. New Muslims should keep in mind the Hadith: "Verily, Allah is mild and is fond of mildness, and He gives to
the mild what He does not give to the harsh." (Muslim) If a website or e-group you come across is far removed from the above, then remove yourself from it!

There are also nice, well-meaning people who offer advice about matters of faith and practice without being in any way qualified to do so. If they get things wrong, they could unwittingly be leading the uninitiated astray and doing more harm than good. Be wary of accepting anything without a quotation from the Quran or authenticated hadith to back it up.

Having said that, if it is one of the nasty brigade who has come seemingly armed with references, firstly check the actual quotation in your Quran. Have they really only quoted what is there or have they embellished it with their own interpretation? It happens. And, if the quotation is genuine but sounds harsh to your ears, then use a commentary to become aware of the context in which the verse was revealed. Read widely. For every hard-line, unpleasant interpretation, there is usually a mild one from a serious writer or scholar.

Beware the Zealots!

Some real-life encounters can also be disconcerting. Whilst I have enjoyed an excellent rapport with some converts, the proverbial "zeal of the converted" can overflow in others. Some can turn into hard-line absolutists - a caricature of a Muslim. Also beware the political zealots. Recently while in London I had to endure a sermon at Jumma salat (Friday afternoon congregational prayers) held at a university in which the student acting as imam was very obviously pushing the agenda of a radical minority political grouping and spoke at length about whom it was our duty to kill!

Sadly far too many young Muslim men in England - the occasional convert and, particularly, the sons of Asian immigrants - get far too worked up about this or that political agenda and are in danger of overlooking the peaceful, spiritual core of Islam. As the writer Abdal-Hakim Murad puts it in his excellent essay British and Muslim, unsettled, discontented second generation Asian immigrant Muslims in Britain tend to locate their radicalism not primarily in a spiritual, but in social and political rejection of the oppressive order around them. Their unsettled and agitated mood is not always congenial to the recent convert, who may, despite the cultural distance, feel more comfortable with the first rather than the second generation of migrants, preferring their God-centered religion to what is often the troubled, identity-seeking Islam of the young.

Amen to that! These young radicals are prone to behave in the most obnoxious and nasty manner towards those other Muslims who do not agree with them. I would simply call the following words from the Quran and ahadith to their attention:

"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious; for your Lord knows best who have strayed from His Path, and who are truly guided."
Quran 16:125

"Do you know what is better than charity and fasting and prayer? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind."
(Muslims & Bukhari) Top

Must we proceed at the pace of the most prudish?
Whilst I have enjoyed many conversations about Islam in mixed male-female company (including with ladies who wear hijab), a small but vociferous minority of female born Muslims I have encountered have been very stand-offish and overly prudish. Despite the fact that the Quran teaches us that

"The believing men and women, are associates and helpers of each other." <Quran, Al-Taubah 9:71>

My own understanding is that what is improper is for one man and one woman to be alone together, but there should not be a problem about other mixing provided that proper Islamic behavior is maintained. I, a man, would never even have had the opportunity to discover Islam in the first instance were it not for friendships with several born Muslims (three of whom were women) prompting me to investigate the religion.

According to the prominent Sudanese Muslim scholar and leader, Dr. Hassan al-Turabi who is widely portrayed in the west as an Islamic fundamentalist, in his seminal 1973 work On the Position of Women in Islam and in Islamic Society'

"In the model society of Islam, Muslims used to assemble freely and frequently; they were mostly acquainted with each other, men and women; they conversed and interacted intensively. But all those activities, were undertaken in a spirit of innocence and in the context of a virtuous society...Islam tolerates that one may greet women or talk to them in decent and chaste language and with good intent. The Prophet used to do so."

"Muslim Name" and Attire?

Another gripe I have is the ignorance of many born Muslims about what they believe to be the necessity for a convert to adopt a so-called Muslim name. When I took my Shahada, I was asked not whether I wished to choose a "Muslim name" but what name I wished to adopt. Not knowing any better at the time, I did reluctantly choose a new name, and used it briefly in Muslim circles. However, I did not change any of my official documents. Only later did I discover that there is, in principle, no requirement whatsoever to change one's name. The original converts to Islam at the time of Prophet Mohammed usually kept the Arabic name they always had. The only exceptions were people who had a name with unpleasant or pagan connotations. So-called "Muslim names" are, in the main, simply Arabic ones or traditional names from countries that were early adopters of Islam. There is no requirement for a new Muslim to adopt one of these.

While I respect (though do not necessarily agree with) the choice of those Muslim converts who have adopted a new name, I expect all Muslims to respect the right of other converts such as myself to retain their original name. I generally now use my "real" name, not the "Muslim name" that was initially thrust upon me. Sadly I have come under pressure from some ignorant born Muslims on this matter.

To be frank, I feel that adopting a "Muslim name", makes it easier for one's existing circle of family and friends to dismiss one's conversion to Islam as an act of eccentricity which they can brush off. By changing one's name and starting to wear, say, Pakistani clothing, one confirms in their minds the foreignness or alien nature of what is supposed to be universal Islam. I believe that these actions, or dare I say distractions, make it harder for most people from non-Muslim countries to identify with Islam, the welcoming and inclusive universal religion open to all, and see how it could be relevant to their own lives.

The spiritually motivated western convert to Islam, whose Islam is centered on God not agitation, has a golden opportunity to depoliticize the widespread negative western perception of Islam and to diminish the impression that Islam is for strange, backward, sometimes frightening foreigners - Arabs and Asians - but not for westerners. In my view, this opportunity is thrown away or at the very least is hobbled by self-inflicted damage when a western convert unnecessarily adopts a foreign name and clothing, thus only reinforcing the preconceived notions and prejudices that non-Muslim fellow westerners tend to hold about Islam.
Relationship with non-Muslim parents

Again with regard to the issue of a "Muslim name" and similar matters, I think it is also important to bear in mind here the teaching of Islam with regard to one's duty to family, particularly one's parents even if they are themselves non-Muslims.

Your Lord had decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you are kind to parents whether one or both of them attain old age in your lifetime. Say not to them a word of contempt or repel them but address them in terms of honor and out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say: "My Lord, bestow on them your mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood".
(Quran 17:23-24)

Indeed there was an occasion when Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) commanded a believer to care for his non-Muslim parents rather than participate in Jihad (holy war).

Abdullah ibn Omar relates: "Once a person came to the Messenger of Allah and expressed his desire to participate in jihad in order to please Allah. The Holy Prophet asked him "Are your parents alive?" The man said "Yes. Both are alive". The Holy Prophet said 'Then go and serve them well".
(Bukhari and Muslim).

I felt that it was important that my parents who are both practicing Catholics should realize that I was not rejecting them, my upbringing or most of the things they held dear. It was simply that I had come to a new understanding of theology. Rejecting the name they had given me could really have been interpreted as being quite insulting to them, which in itself would be contrary to Islam. I am thinking here of the following ahadith:

"He, who wishes to enter paradise at the best gate, must please
his father and mother."
(Bukhari & Muslim)

In my case, I felt that abandoning for no good reason the very name given me by my loving parents would have been straining the ties of relationship, creating displeasure and certainly not indicative of showing kindness to or taking friendly care of my mother and father.

So-called "Islamic Causes"

When I, a westerner and a former practicing Christian, became a Muslim, I became just that - a Muslim, a believer in the religion of Islam, i.e. someone who believes in the oneness of God as opposed to the concept of Trinity and who accepts Mohammed (pbuh) as a prophet of God. I'm the same person with the same name, wearing the same western style of clothing (though now respecting the modest dress code of Islam) and eating the same style of food (though now making sure that my meat is halal). I have not rejected my country, its culture or tradition. I simply now hold different theological beliefs.


Final Thoughts

Based on my personal experience, my advice either to new Muslims or anyone considering the possibility of accepting Islam would be simply to judge a religion not by its adherents, many of whom may fall far short of the ideal in a variety of ways (and I include myself in that!), but rather by the theology and teachings of the religion itself. To be honest, I remain in Islam very much in spite of and not because of my experiences with Muslims. Only a handful have been of any help to me and quite a few hard-line politicos and joyless, uptight puritans have been a real hindrance. However, despite my great disappointment at both the lack of organized support available to new Muslims and the widespread politically focused rather than God-centered Islam so prevalent today, plus my intense dislike of the nasty behavior and attitudes of some of the Muslims I have encountered in person and online, I have most definitely found in the religion of Islam an intellectual and theological satisfaction that I never knew in Christianity. And at the end of the day, one's beliefs about God are what truly matters.

Allahu a`lam. God knows best.


Source :salam.
I took a lot of internet courses.
 

Asiya-sparkles

Junior Member
I took a lot of internet courses.
Salam alaikom wa rahma'tullah brother,

I read you message with a sense of deja vu and smiled because your gripes and frustrations are shared amongst all muslims, so I wanted to respond because honestly, the journey in Islam will at one time or another leave you guilty of all the aformentioned things that pain you right now! Subhan Allah, I think the most important thing you need to remember is that ALL muslims, those who have been raised with a muslim name, those who bring a cultural flavour etc... converts [I am assured it is convert not revert as explained by Ustadh Abu eesa [you can go the very slow track of gaining ilm through his free online lesson 'Logical Progression' which is accessed via Prophetic Guidance website and runs every Wednesday evening. I have been a practising convert for slightly more than 13 years now and want to first of all ask you to reflect that ALL muslims without exception are on their own individual journey and even those raised in practising homes are as much in need of guidance and support as the newbie! Honestly, Allah knows best.

I think the most beneficial statement that I ever heard was from Ustadh Abu Eesa niamatullah, ''Everything in life is halal except that which is specifically prohibited [haram] & everything in worship is haram except that which that which has been specifically instructed. "

Isn't that simple and beautiful?

We are not all at the same level of iman, ilm or taqwa and it is wrong to be critical of people who feel the presence of Allah in a different way to you, it is also wrong to be critical of people who act with caution in some situations especially 'free mixing' -there are laws surrounding this issue with good reason and people who learn and know never advocate this type of mixing - it is actually for your own benefit. If you personally can't see the harm, don't assume that other people would feel unaffected in such situations. You only are aware of your own shortcomings and tests. Always try to give 70 excuses for the behaviour of others.

Also, the only obligation of muslims to each other are that they give you your rights, believe it or not, muslims work, have family responsibilities, do their own bit in the communities [sometimes at a studious level, others on a more personal level and sometimes at a dawah level or charitatable etc...] Not all muslims [who are still just ordinary people with ordinary failings etc... and abilities] can manage the interactions that you desire. And we none of us should place an expectation on how others should be. We may find another muslim a disappointment, but in the sight of Allah, Who knows the whole about us and what tests we are going through, that person may be loved. Allahu Alim! When you learn about the lives and personalities of the predecessors, you would be amazed at how just the same characteristics you have picked up on were always present in our community. The difference was, that unlike us, muslims accepted that so long as people were not falling into sin, they were free to be themselves. =)

Sadly, as a convert community, we often wear an air of entitlement that we aren't actually deserving of, some muslims keep away from us due to our strongwilled obstinancy and determination to either ridicule how they practice [we forget being humble and respectful to others is something that starts with 'me'] and can have many views that are associated with ignorance and they don't feel a shared value in such views and often come across opposition when they try to gently, or 'puritanically' guide us. Can we blame them if we are making it difficult to interact with?

It is often a dreadful feeling for sisters to be approached by a non mehram and it is not praiseworthy to have any discussions/debates with the opposite sex. Honestly, it just isn't. How do you know what thoughts and feelings are stirred in hearts and minds? Islam is about prevention and then cure. Male converts should respect that and understand that the modern western ways aren't always correct. Just having respect for others at least means we should empathise witht them.

I think the single thing that we converts are most guilty of is always thinking of the 'me' in these situations. we rarely try to imagine what the lives of thers are about. Allahu alim!


Anyway, just a few thoughts I wanted to share. I hope that they at least make you pause and think. Insha Allah!




I will insha Allah endeavour to answer more later!

Fi amanillah
 
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Asiya-sparkles

Junior Member
Salam alaikom,

One other thought, we need to develop tawakul -reliance upon Allah & to seek from Him.

I also want to say this, if Allah is keeping you from mixing with others it is for your benefit insha Allah!

About 10 years ago, I lived above a muslim family, the sister and I got along well and ma'sha Allah, she has a beautiful heart and a gentleness about her that was really lovely. Each Friday night, she and her husband would socialise, the sisters would each gather usually at hers, and the husbands' would gather at another house. They clearly had a fun and enjoyable start to their weekends and I would hear the laughter and wonder why I was never invited. It caused me huge pain. Alhamdulillah, after a few months of this going on, Allah one evening allowed the invitation to be extended to include me. My husband prefers his own company so did not join the brothers. I knew most of the sisters and had visited with a few of them many times [hence the mystery as to why I had not been invited before!] Well that evening I gratefully joined them and they were warm, kind and fun, BUT because it was a gathering of so many, inevitably tongues started to say things that should not be said. Some of the subjects were not suitable etc... You see how Allah had protected me from this all along? I felt so grateful and never minded that I was not invited along again. Allah kareem. I of course love these sisters, they are ma'sha Allah tabarak Allah good sisters, who like me and you have human failings. Yes, we do enjoin the good and prohibit the wrong, but, if you can avoid gatherings that do not remember Allah [such as circles of ilm which are good and you should seek out!] it is possible that you are being helped to prevent developing bad habits and or accruing sins - that wont help you in your journey.

Allah is always near, and what is more, He who has no-one, does indeed have Allah.


The other thing you need to remember is that if as a convert, you are determined to introduce muslims to your ideas of Islam, based on only a limited knowledge, then they will be cautious around you and careful to keep you at arms length from their families. You can't expect to be invited into a brother's home and sit chatting with his wife and teenage daughters - none of them will be happy, comfortable or want that. Same for sisters, going into a home of a sister and sitting around chatting with her husband and teenaged sons will confuse her... making friendships with the opposite gender is discouraged, so they won't understand why you would even want to. When you are further along in your journey, you will also appreciate that actually it is nice being close with your own gender, and being polite with the opposite gender. Alhamdulillah.

Do you remember as children how boys did their own thing and girls did their own thing - even though they were mixed... school playgrounds etc...? Well that is natural. Husband and wife, parents, inlaws etc do more easily interact nad of course have close loving bonds. but outside of that, it really is okay to keep a distance, desired, preferred.

Fi amanillah
Fi amanillah
 

Asiya-sparkles

Junior Member
"Although I have a good understanding of the basic theology of Islam and Islamic history, two years after my conversion I am to some extent still struggling with the practical daily basics. According to a hadith,"The search for knowledge is an obligation laid on every Muslim."(Ibn Majah, Baihaqi). A convert needs to search for more knowledge than a born Muslim who has had a lifetime of schooling in the faith. In my personal experience, it seems that established Muslims make at best only a token effort to assist new Muslims in fulfilling their religious obligations."

With respect brother, I would like to assure you that even after 13 years of studying, I am learning that I am pretty basic in my understanding -the further along you go, the more ou realise this. Don't seek knowledge from other students, [which we all are effectively] seek knowledge from those who teach. Not every muslim can help you or give you correct advice.

I would suggest Sheikh Assim al Hakim, Abu Eesa Niamatullah, Dr Bilal Philips Islamic Open University - which is online and free in essence, though you will need to buy books for study. Being taught is much better too than just reading about the deen, because you will be given insight into what things are and mean, it isn't always as obvious as literal.

Also, it is a mistake to assume that muslims have a lifetime of learning about the deen behind them, in some cases you may have more understanding than they do. Which means you are guilty or what you are accusing them of! Many muslims face the issues of trying to learn the deen under severe scrutiny and opposition from muslim family members who also don't have a lifetime of learning. we all make assumptions, but that is all they are. Sadly far too many muslims couldn't help you develop even if they ardently wished to.

Fi amanillah
 

tiaziz

Junior Member
Thanak you very much brother for sharing your experience. I is very helpful even to born Muslims.
May Allah(SBT) bless you and keep you and your loved ones at peace. ..Ameen
 

mary-am

Member
Thank you for this post! It was very relieving to read that some other converts are going through the same things.

It has been hinted to me that I should change my name as well, but having been born with the name Mary, somehow I doubt that adding an -am at the end will make much of a difference!

I am particularly grateful for you mentioning the part about not forsaking your parents or culture or country just because you have embraced Islam. Islam is such a wonderful religion in part because it accepts people of all colours and countries.

Sometimes I find myself secretly wishing that there was a mosque specially designed for converts! I imagine it does feel hard sometimes being the only white person in a mosque. Wouldn't that be incredible? :)
 

tcbkk

Member
With respect to what the author wrote on social support networks after reverting, it is something I am experiencing in Catholicism living in a south asian country. While I am found wanting to go closer to God I feel pushed away by a cliquey attitude from the parishioners and the fact that I have little in comm9on with them. I see the devotion to worship in Islam that I seek but do not want to be cut off from my family. I am already lacking in friends as I still believe and know that the creator exists. It has not been my choice to be alienated but rather action on their part. Its ok as I had many bad habits when associating with them. I want to attend a mosque for the community but I am separated by the language barrier.
 

Abu Juwairiya

Junior Member
With respect to what the author wrote on social support networks after reverting, it is something I am experiencing in Catholicism living in a south asian country. While I am found wanting to go closer to God I feel pushed away by a cliquey attitude from the parishioners and the fact that I have little in comm9on with them. I see the devotion to worship in Islam that I seek but do not want to be cut off from my family. I am already lacking in friends as I still believe and know that the creator exists. It has not been my choice to be alienated but rather action on their part. Its ok as I had many bad habits when associating with them. I want to attend a mosque for the community but I am separated by the language barrier.

Have you tried study circles, conversing with social groups on the internet, meeting members of your own group via friends or acquaintances to enable you to be an active community partisan to Islamic activities or da'wah-related organisations. You do not need to have a local masjid to be an accepted member of the Islamic world; once Allah has accepted you, that's all there is to it. Interacting with others of a similar background etc. via any network is sufficient to engaging in Islamic social action and initiatives.

I wish you every success in your endeavours and finding your niche and contact group among the many good and sincere brothers and sisters the world over who with Allah's Help can guide and assist you further.
 

mahussain

Junior Member
Please be assured that it is not only reverts/converts that experience this.

Even born Muslims like myself, are experiencing this.

However it is upon you to seek changes in your circumstance.

You must try to make friends actively.
You can try to set up, a study circle, where you can go through a book on Islam, or listen to a lecture on tape/internet, with any people who you are able to befriend.

You can ask people who you know/meet if they are interested. You can ask on forums if anyone is interested in doing a class of something.

If you still cannot find people to socialise, then it is upon you to have sabr patience, with the circumstances Allah has given you. To think about people who are in worse circumstances than you, and then to say Alhamdulillah, oh Allah I am thankful for everything you have given me. Without you I would have never even experienced life. I would've been nothing.

It is also upon you that you surround yourself with good things when you are on your own. That way you will be in the company of good even if you are on your own.

We will die very soon, so we just have to be patient with any hardships, whether mental or physical.
 

mustafa_bepari

Junior Member
Its not only happening to reverts, I was born and raised a muslim alhamdulillah, but where I am right now, people call me wahabi, enemy of islam, kaafir and some even say they should slit my throat. That's basically because the way I pray in the mosque... People here strictly follow hanafi madhab, and somehow they developed this idea that you MUST follow madhab or you're out of the folds of Islam haha. And trust me, you or anyone else cannot do anything about this issue at all, unless Allah wills it. Allah guides whom He loves and leaves to go astray whom He is displeased with. So count yourselves lucky that Allah gifted you this realization and that you can distinguish between the right and wrong theological teachings.

Allah azza wa jal says in the noble Qur'an: "Verily, with hardship comes ease" [94:6]
Take lesson from this verse and try to reflect upon it. When you go to get a college degree, the college does not offer you the degree with a big smile just for admitting yourself there. You study hard, you give exams after exams, sometimes you fail and you try again... And then they give you the degree. Likewise, Allah will test each and every one of us. We only need to prove to Allah azza wa jal we deserve His mercy and paradise, that's the whole point of this life.

"O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient." [2:153]
Nobody will ever succeed in striving to be a better muslim without patience.

Before talking about patience, we need to take a step towards 'Jihad An Nafs'. Learn to fight our own desires, only by suppressing our Nafs, will we be able to submit to Allah azza wa jal properly. Because we don't know which act of ours is causing more difficulties for us... Sometimes, Allah doesn't accept our prayers because we haven't stopped that one certain sin that displeases Allah the most. The more we belittle a sin, the bigger it gets in the sight of Allah jalla jalalahu. Sometimes we commit sins without even realizing it... So we need to fix our Nafs before everything else. And after that everything shall become easy. And Allah azza wa jal knows best.
 

tcbkk

Member
Have you tried study circles, conversing with social groups on the internet, meeting members of your own group via friends or acquaintances to enable you to be an active community partisan to Islamic activities or da'wah-related organisations. You do not need to have a local masjid to be an accepted member of the Islamic world; once Allah has accepted you, that's all there is to it. Interacting with others of a similar background etc. via any network is sufficient to engaging in Islamic social action and initiatives.

I wish you every success in your endeavours and finding your niche and contact group among the many good and sincere brothers and sisters the world over who with Allah's Help can guide and assist you further.

Thank you your your time to reply. I have a couple of English speaking colleagues that are Muslim, and I discussed this post with them. They have pointed me in the right direction, with regards to where I can find what I seek. I think now my main issue is language barrier. I know enough Thai to get by where I live, but that is about it.

Thank you again.
 
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