New muslim’s journey to Islam; How it all started?
It all started with a simple encounter. Well….. I met a guy …
We have been going out for some time. I thought our relationship will naturally progress to the next stages – moving in together, getting married and starting a family. Plus I felt like I’m ready to take our relationship to next step. I someone to share my life with and who can provide me with support during tough times. Living alone in a foreign country, away from my family, made me so excited. The thought of coming home to someone special filled me with happiness.
Living alone in a foreign country, away from my family, made me crave companionship even more. The thought of coming home to someone special filled me with joy and anticipation. I didn’t want to expect much and than be disappointed. So we were just going with the flow, nothing was forced. Guess what? He flew across the world to visit me 🙂 From that moment I knew I want to come back to England a see what the future holds for us.
You are not a Muslim
When I got back, I was ready to take the next step and move in together. I was tired of moving from one place to another, sharing spaces with strangers. However, we soon realized we had different visions for our future.
The main obstacle was my not being Muslim. It became very clear that his faith played a significant role in his life. Did I not see it coming? Hmm… I don’t know…maybe I was being naive and didn’t want to see it.
I felt emptiness, I was questioning why, am I wasn’t enough the way I was? After all what we had been through, was this how it would end? I needed it time to process my emotions and thought about before I make any decision.
Embracing Islam: A Commitment to Authenticity
I recalled a conversation with a girl from my hometown who married an Egyptian man. She converted to Islam but mentioned she didn’t follow strictly to its practices. She basically said that she doesn’t actually have to do anything if she doesn’t want to, like – praying, ca drink alcohol, dress how she wishes, etc. This is what really stuck in my head because that time I didn’t think much of it. But living in UK you are around a lot of different people, cultures, religions and by interacting with people I knew a little bit more about Islam than I knew back than. I was aware that Islam had specific rules—no alcohol, modest dressing, daily prayers, and dietary restrictions.
I knew that this religion had rules that couldn’t be adjusted to suit personal preferences. It reminded me of school, where breaking the rules or cheating would result in punishment. Just like school rules provide structure the same applies to Islam. There weren’t different rules for different people. No! The rules applied equally to everyone.
Embracing Islam
When I started thinking about becoming a Muslim, I knew I didn’t want to give people the wrong impression of the religion. Ive decided if I’m actually going to do it I need to do it properly. I decided that if I was going to convert, I needed to do it properly. That same week, I went to bookstore and spent a couple of hours searching for books about Islam. I found two that seemed informative.
I also looked online but was cautious, as I’d been warned about potential misinformation. My partner recommended watching Mufti Menk on YouTube. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Instead of Netflix, I spent my evenings engrossed in his videos, often staying up late to watch more.
I remember the first thing I read was – Islam is a religion of peace. This was surprising, as it wasn’t something often highlighted in the media. I also discovered that Islam teaches self-improvement, the importance of good character and conduct, kindness towards those who mistreat you, avoiding gossip, maintaining a clean heart, giving charity, and lot more.
These teachings resonated deeply with me. I was like, ‘I want this! I want to be better version of myself!’ I wanted to replace the bad with good immediately! But I wasn’t sure where to start.