Ramadan: do you know any muslim convert(s)? if yes, what led them to islam?
I know a lot of muslim converts but I'll tell you 2 stories about 2 muslim converts :) Story 1: I met a muslim convert in a laundromat. She was telling me her life as a Jewish. Well, actually, she didn't act like one. She used to drink, party, do drugs, etc. She was very popular in her HS years. She got everything she wanted, but she felt empty inside. She felt something was missing in her life. She decided to do her research about her religion to get closer to God. Still, she felt empty. She did research about other religions. Islam was one of them. She fell in love with it and converted to Islam a couple years ago. I'm so happy for her. What amazed me more is that she told me she converted more than 700 Christians to Islam because she went from church to church to preach about Islam. Story 2: I know this Dominican guy who had struggled a lot in his life. Every night he would get drunk or get high with his crew. He fell deeply in depression because he felt life was meaningless. One day, my muslim friend decided to do something to change his life. He taught him about Islam little by little. He gradually became interested in Islam and converted to it. One day during the dinner he declared his embracement to Islam to his family. His mother started crying. She said, "I'd rather you to turn gay than being a muslim!!!!!!!" His father was very unhappy so was his entire family. It hurted him a lot. Right now, they accepted with his decision because they realized how Islam changed him in many ways and how it turned him into a better person. He doesn't fight them as he used to. He respects them even more. He smiles more often. My muslim friend has converted 3 of his friends to Islam. He definitely has his ticket to heaven! inshallah lol.
How to overcome depression in Islam?
depression comes when someone is detached from his own self, holy quran gives solution to this problem. 59:19. And be ye not like those who forgot Allah. and He made them forget their own souls! Such are the rebellious transgressors!
Ramadan: Is depression an illness or an test?
@ Anonymous: So, glad that you are hanging in there sis..seems like you have gone through a lot. May Allah grant you Jannah for your patience and determination. I've been enduring long-lasting depression due to loneliness & severe anxiety for a long time. Before I converted to Islam, it was nothing that I bothered to pray about. Deal with the depression had me feeling so angry, empty, lost, and isolated around people in general including my family. I now pray about it, and the depression is steadily subsiding.. But, to answer your question..yes, it might be an illness caused by hormones in the brain or what not. However, I still consider it as a test from Allah too. More than likely, we are still being tested for whether or not we will lose all hope towards remaining faithful to our religious belief. I know many people who have endured so much depression & loneliness that they have lost faith in God. From my perspective, it's just to see who will remain faithful regardless of what they are going through..with the reward being Jannah for those who remain faithful.
Ramadan: Islam is giving me stress and depression!?
Ok so I converted to Islam about a year ago. I really was glad to be a muslim back than. I still am... Though Its giving me stress especially since almost nothing makes sense to me! Some examples: -People say you dont have to memorize quran but if you dont its a sin! -that doesnt make sense! -People say that sunni islam is true but others say shia islam! Which one is true! Others say muslims are equal! They arent i understand i mean shias and sunni muslims r totally different! -In auran it says touching feet is haram but it also says heaven starts from the mothers foot! -doesnt make sense! -also some people say abu bakr al siddqui was a coward and a jew while others say he was Prophet Muhammads best companion and friend! Please gove me straight answers or I might think of blowing my mind off or converting to christianity
Ramadan: How do you deal with fighting parents?
Hi: As much as I like YLHG, I respectfully disagree. Unless one of your parents is being abused, you should not get in the middle. They are adults and their relationship is separate from the one they share with you. How old you are matters in this case, but I'm going to guess around 14ish. If that is the case, I would still say you shouldn't get in the middle, even if it does get physical. Do you have a good relationship with your folks when their not fighting? Since you say you've already tried to talk to them, that's about the maximum you can do. You could advise them that if it does get physical you will call the police next time, and even for something small. Do you have any other family you could stay with, even short term? If so, you could talk to them, and see if they could keep you for a week or two. Then you tell your parents you're going to be there for such and such time, because you really can't take the yelling, it's affecting your health, your studies, your happiness and you hope they can resolve things. My parents used to fight so much, it was awful, but trying to talk to them did nothing. Finally, I spent a summer at my friend's place. My parents divorced soon after (not because of me). Although divorce isn't normally what we want for our parents, they were both happier afterwards and better parents. If you can't talk to them and you can't get away for a bit, then all you can do is try to get involved in things outside of the home, and pray. You can e-mail me anytime (if you like) if you need someone to talk to. I know this is painful, but you do have to keep in mind that while our parents are major players in our lives, their relationship to each other is very different from the one they have with us.
[Ramadan] Permissibility of Suicide in Islam?
Salaam, I know that Suicide is a major sin, but I want to know its exceptions... From the verses of Surah An-Nisa' [4:29,30]: " ...And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful." "And whoever does that in aggression and injustice - then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah , is [always] easy." Does that mean, only those who suicide in aggression and injustice, they will be driven into Fire? - what if someone suicides not in aggression or injustice, but due to other reasons, like constant depression/anxiety etc due to an injustice/harm done to them, and if they can't handle it just because they are too weak-hearted? I mean, if they personally have an honest and valid reason? ..will they be exempted? Also, since verse [4:29] does not mention "eternally", does that mean, Muslims who suicide, will be taken out eventually? and sent to Paradise as promised by Him for true believers? jazakAllah khair