12/3/2014 FRIENDSHIP AND ISLAMRecently on my blog I had a new convert reach out to me and ask me why they felt so alone lately and why they seem to be having a hard time keeping any friends around. “It feels like they are dropping like flies” I took some time to reflect before I was able to continue the conversation, the more I thought about the reverts that I have come across, I came to realize that the most common problem is how many friends and family we tend to lose during our transition into this new lifestyle. What is it about Islam that drives people away? I kept asking myself this since I, was also changing the circle of people I decided to surround myself with. Overtime, I have learned that most often it is due to the misconceptions of Islam and the fact that we are trying to devote our entire lives to a higher purpose. Islam is not just a religion that we practice on certain days, it is a lifestyle, it requires hard work and most definitely, some remodeling of our lives and ourselves. This is the most fragile time for a revert. We tend to not have a good solid base of support from our family and friends, whom unless they are Muslim, do not really have a solid understanding of what Islam teaches. The more I reach out to other reverts the more I understand that the transition into Islam is very tough on us and if we happen to have good Muslim friends we are very blessed. During this time however we need to remember that this is a test from Allah SWT and we need to use this time to our best benefit instead of listening to the whispers of shaytan to keep us feeling down and focusing on the negative. We must remember that Allah(SWT) wants us to get closer to him. A good friend of mine once told me that Allah(SWT) loves to hear us calling his name and he will come running to us even if we are only taking baby steps. We are taught this in this Hadith Qudsi: On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah the Almighty said: The most frequent advice that I have received from other Muslims is that I should go to a masjid and get involved with the sisters that are there, but for the most part new reverts are not so comfortable with going to the masjid by ourselves because it may seem a little intimidating. Some tips that I would like to give to to other reverts are :
----Chib This article was written by an SFC guest contributor
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IntroductionWelcome to our "Convert/Revert" section. This section of Striving For Clarity is dedicated to articles and stories geared towards those who chose to enter Islam later in life. If you would like to contribute to this section, visit our Guest Contributor page. Archives
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