The last two months has been a whirlwind of intensity of me religious-wise. Alhamdulilah, things have been going great as far as my personal practice of Islam but I have come in contact with a lot various things that have made me question and reanalyze how I process and engage in things when it comes to Islam.

Four months ago, I started wearing niqab and Alhamdulilah, no surprises, I loved it. I felt so much more modest that when I was wearing just a khimar and jilbab and the level of taqwa that I felt was immense. I have since taken it off for a couple of reasons. Looking back, the entire whirlwind started with niqab. Once I made the decision to start wearing it, I spoke with #themister about it and started wearing it, I decided to start reading more and more about it. One of the first things I read is the Four Essays of Veiling. It’s a great book and many sisters tend to recommend it to each other. After reading that book, I began listening to some lectures on niqab which then led me to listening to lectures on other things.

I don’t want to get too lengthy so I’ll try to be as succinct as possible :) As I was listening to these lectures, I started to take in a lot of what was being said and wanted to implement the teachings in my life, especially in regards to aspects that were  specific for women. As I listened to more lectures, I started noticing things that didn’t sit right me, as well as things that were contrary to what I was taught from the Qur’an and the various Ahadith that I have read. I continued to reflect on these lectures as well as various books(including the Four Essays book mentioned above). I started noticing that in a lot of these lectures and the like, very little Qur’an and Ahadith are mentioned. Yes, an ayah or hadith was mentioned here and there but for the most part, I found that the ayah or hadith used, loosely applied to the topic at hand.

Eventually, I started to feel as if I was being ‘pressured’ to practice Islam a certain way that didn’t necessarily mesh with the Islam I learned from the Qur’an and something was off. At first, I started to rationalize it with myself and say “maybe I’ve been missing something” or “maybe I’m just being difficult and just don’t want to change myself for the better”. As I listened to more lectures, I began picking up on things  being shared that definitely contradicted the essence of Islam. I discussed my thoughts with a friend and started researching the speakers behind these lectures more and their institution. To my dismay, there were many people who felt how I felt and many ‘reputable’ warnings to stay away from them.

After this experience, I became extremely wary of lectures and speakers. There’s just so much fitnah with all the information that is passed around that I’ve decided to just stay away from most lectures and books. I just really want my life and experience with Islam to be as unadulterated as possible. I want to keep things simple and practice Islam to the best of my ability. So far, I’ve been feeling much better Alhamdulilah and in sha Allah, I  hope this continues. I’ll be sure to keep you posted :)


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What exactly does someone mean when they say "I'm Salafi"?  Generally what they're saying is “I follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, based on the understanding and practical implementation of the Salaf as-Sālih (i.e. first three generations)”.

There are a lot of people who like to treat Salafiyyah as if it's a sect or some exclusive group. It's not and it shouldn't be treated as such. I first became familiar with Salafiyyah seven years ago. I remember thinking that it made perfect sense and that it was very self explanatory. Why shouldn't Muslims only follow the Qur'an and Sunnah. I think what turned me off was the fact that so many so-called Salafis treat it as a sect/group and spend so much time badmouthing others. They used the term "Salafi" as a tool to elevate themselves in the eyes of others. So needless to say, I didn't associate myself with Salafiyyah but identified myself simply as "I am Muslim and believe in following the Qur'an and Sunnah". 

​Fast forward a couple of years and doing more research, I came across Salafiyyah again. Still, I was turned off by the lack of adab many Salafi proponents exhibited, the "obsession" with badmouthing other Muslims who didn't fit their "standard" and the sheer lack of discourse and dialogue among Salafis- every question was answered with a ruling-no feelings, no humanity, no  discussions or acknowledgement of the real life difficulties and stressors that come with them. In summary, I found it hard to relate to these people. They seemed to lack a lot of the attributes that many of the Sahabah had. 

​Fast forward a couple more years, getting married and gaining more knowledge, and my thoughts are about the same. However, I've come to accept that my problem isn't with the methodology. The problem was with the people. I will say that I agree with and follow the Salafi methodology. As a Muslim, I strive to adhere to the Qur'an and Sunnah and utilize the examples of the Sahabah, the Tabi'in and the Tabi al-Tabi'in.  My husband and I generally use Salafi "sanctioned" resources when researching, attend a Salafi masjid and most of my good Muslimah friends ascribe to being Salafi.  With that being said, as long as a fellow Muslimah is along the same mindset, then I'm all about being her companion. I don't believe we should tell someone that they're "off the Deen" simply because they don't claim to be Salafi but do everything accordingly nor should we assume someone is good or accept everything they say simply because they claim to be Salafi. 

May Allah keep us all on the straight path. 

What are your thoughts on this subject? I'm very curious :D