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Random Questions for Reverts

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Random Questions for Reverts
eleanor
05/26/02 at 08:39:09
Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem

[slm]

This is pretty much directed towards reverts, but anyone is welcome to answer.

1) How long have you been Muslim?

2) Did you ever regret becoming Muslim (be honest!!!)?

3) Is there anything you miss since becoming Muslim?

4) What was the hardest part of reverting for you?

5) [similar to Q4] What was the greatest sacrifice you made in becoming Muslim?

6) If you are a sister - How long did it take before you started to wear hijab?

7) How long did it take for you to pray regularly, 5x daily?

8) Have you ever "relapsed", ie stopped praying for a while, or stopped wearing hijab? If so, how long after your reversion did this happen?

9) Have you ever felt being Muslim is not worth the effort?

10) Have you ever felt you have reached a point where you have come so far that you can't go back, yet you are not sure if you have the strength to go forward?



Okay sorry for all these questions, but it would really help me to share some experiences at the moment.

Jazak Allahu Khairun

wasalaam
eleanor  
NS
05/26/02 at 08:40:30
eleanor
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Kathy
05/26/02 at 09:00:44
[slm]

I am afraid to answer these questions publicly- it may scare contenders to Islam away.  In the big picture it all turned out wonderfully. However, answering these individual questions would but an unfair negative light on Islam.
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Marcie
05/26/02 at 10:14:46
[color=Teal] [slm] Eleanor,

Are we allowed to IM you with our answers?  The answers are very personal so I prefer not to go public.   :P  Al hamdu lillah I'm a Muslim and that I would not change.   :-*

[wlm]
Marcie  :-)

[/color]
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
mwishka
05/26/02 at 10:38:08
hmmm......let's see.  what to do with this?  kathy, those struggles you went through, especially if they ever included doubt, are the truth of your search and decision that could, in fact, make the most positive difference to someone having their own struggles.  i know that when, in my incessant questioning, i keep hearing that people never doubted and the acceptance was easy and automatic, i find little help in that.  let me point out as a special point of reference, though, my lifelong atheism.  for someone with a background in some other relgiion or already having a belief in god but turning toward islam, your hesitancy is understandable.

and marcie, i can also understand how personal your choice would be - i hesitated to even be "public" here because i didn't want to, um, reveal my true periodic disintegration and attempts at re-integration in public view.

does anyone have any ideas on how this critically valuable information could be made available to non-muslims reading here?

perhaps an anonymous compilation by the administrators?  (hmmm..once i was thinking of asking for an anonymous compilation of ages, and maybe other backgrounds, here....)  especially-ambitious madina administrators:  this could be an extremely valuable pool of stories and information, maybe posted in help, or at jannah.org, and could be really great to be available to madinans who design and write educational flyers or booklets or make videos......

mwishka
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Noor
05/26/02 at 11:21:50
I was wondering mwishka, have you read a good translation of the Quran (eg by Yusuf Ali)? If you have, what did you think of it?

Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Julie
05/26/02 at 11:22:58
I'd be interested in hearing some of the replies.  Why don't you start off Eleanor, and then maybe some other reverts will answer the questions they're comfortable answering publically?  I don't think anyone could go from being non-Muslim to doing all that's required within a few days, so it's only natural for new Muslims to struggle with some of the practices at first such as salat, etc.  Enough said from me.

Julie :)
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
mwishka
05/26/02 at 15:20:12
sis noor,

i WAS working on it.  haven't made much progress through it, though i got a small version to take with me to palestine, where i'll be away from my lab and in the company of good muslims who will encourage me to pursue it.

i sort of put it aside to read other books on islam, because i was having trouble with it.  not with the content, per se, but the book wasn't drawing me in on an emotional level the way listening to it does, or the attributes do, or rumi does........  (i'm sure some people might find that hard to comprehend, and i really hope no one actually finds it offensive.....)  this could also have to do with the fact that i don't discuss it with anyone...

in fact, just reading your question is like asking a good question of myself:  you came to the madina to study and learn, seriously, and you're spending an AWFUL lot of  time fooling around, playing word games, telling stories and jokes, offering advice, teasing people, pleading with people, providing information unrelated to islam and........what happened to the serious work??

thanks for the reminder sis noor.  i used to go to sleep listening to the quran or the attributes.  or at least a lecture of some sort.  now i often awaken startled to find i dozed off and the madina is still open.  :o       :D

hmmm.....i seem to only go look up verses that are specifically mentioned here, or suggested to me.  maybe i better re-think my desires and goals here.  i'm enjoying the madina, but failing in my scholarship.......ayyyyyy    

mwishka



Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Sis_Malak
05/26/02 at 21:00:51
[slm]  :-)

1)  I have been a Muslim for about three and a half years.

2)  I have NEVER regretted being a Muslim.

3) The only thing I miss since becoming a Muslim is having a normal relationship with my family.  I live pretty far away from them now (I live in California, they live in Ohio), so I don't see them very much.  But I often get long emails from my brother, who is in the US Navy, telling me why Islam is bad.  And my mom, who usually pretends that I am not really a Muslim,  sometimes gets freaky and calls me and starts a big arguement about how I am not the same person...blah blah blah....  My step dad is pretty cool though, and he asks me a lot of questions.

4) see previous answer

5) ?

6) I started wearing hijab on last Eid al-Fitr (2001), alhamdulillah.  So that was about three years after reverting.  I didn't wear it before because I lived with my mom and was hiding the fact that I was a Muslim.  When I moved to CA, and found a lot of Muslim friends, I finally felt comfortable and confident, so I put it on.

7) I started to pray right away.

8) I did have a relapse once (astaghfirallah).  It happened when my grandfather (who was like a father to me) died.  I took it very hard, and instead of turning to Allah like I should have, I just let myself feel as though I too had died.  I didn't pray for over a year.  But then, alhamdulillah, I got tired of being depressed,  so I decided to open the Quran.  I found sura al-inshirah (#94) when I opened it, and read that surah.  It the 5th-8th ayas it reads (in english) "But lo, with hardship goeth ease, lo, with hardship goeth ease, so when thou art relieved, still toil, and strive to please thy lord."  That was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.  I went to the masjid here in CA for the first time the next day, and I never stopped since, alhamdulillah.  (PS- I have never felt more at peace)

9) I have always felt that being a Muslim IS worth the effort.

10) I never wanted to turn back.  Becoming a Muslim is the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my whole life.

[wlm] :-)
Tara
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
eleanor
05/27/02 at 02:28:26
[slm]

Thanks Tara for sharing :) I was thinking maybe if the other sisters want to IM their answers to me and I'll make a compilation in the style of "Daughters of Another Path". That means just a list of the answers I got for each question, without a name or attribute.

If you don't think that's a good idea,but would like to answer the questions to me privately, then please do so, I'd really appreciate it.

Jazak Allah

wasalaam
eleanor  :-*
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
eleanor
05/29/02 at 09:31:54
[slm]

okay I've already gotten a few answers by IM, if any more of you would like to participate then please go ahead :)

Jazak Allah

wasalaam
eleanor
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Laila
05/29/02 at 11:28:17
     [slm]
   Interesting questions! Here goes:
     1- since 1992, seems like yesterday and yet forever
     2- not really regret- just wished the timing could have been better sometimes
     3- I miss swimming pools in the summer, and ham(sorry, but I grew up on it)
    4- the hardest part was having my mom think I did it out of spite and turn from me- again
    5- being able to go out with co-workers who aren't Muslim- they go to bars
    6- I started the month [u]before[/u] I said shahada
    7- the whole ten years- I could not get a grasp on it until I recently had a major problem, then it clicked
    8- relapsed a couple times with hijab- like a rebellious child
    9- sometimes I think [u]I'm[/u] not worth the effort I put into being Muslim
   10- every day- as my kids grow into their own lives and I see me being old and alone for another 30 years- being Muslim never enters into the equation

    [wlm]  :-) Laila
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Mohja
05/29/02 at 14:57:36
[quote]
hmmm......let's see.  what to do with this?  kathy, those struggles you went through, especially if they ever included doubt, are the truth of your search and decision that could, in fact, make the most positive difference to someone having their own struggles.  
[/quote]

couldn't agree more! one book that had a *big* impact on me is Jeffrey Lang's "Even Angels Ask".If you haven't read that book then please,please,please do so. It deals with the problems the author faced and the issues he had to deal with after his conversion.

The preceding book by the same author "Struggling to Surrender" which talks about the how of his conversion is also *very* good. But maybe because i'm already a muslim somehow the other one touched a deeper cord in me; partly because of the brutal honesty in which he relates everything, even and especially his moments of weakness.

in any case, i would [u]HIGHLY[/u] recommend that you read both of them.

Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Kathy
05/29/02 at 19:44:14
[slm]

I got his book because of the recommendations from this board. I was dismayed tho when he  told the Adam and Eve story and put blame on her.

This was in one of the first chapters. So now I am hesitating on reading the rest of the book.
05/29/02 at 19:46:18
Kathy
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Mohja
05/29/02 at 22:54:42
[quote author=Kathy link=board=lighthouse;num=1022416749;start=0#12 date=05/29/02 at 19:44:14] [slm]

I got his book because of the recommendations from this board. I was dismayed tho when he  told the Adam and Eve story and put blame on her.

[/quote]

are you sure??? i've read all two books from cover to cover and found nothing that would in the remotest sense suggest a prejudice against women let alone Eve (ra)! If anything i found him to be an advocate for the fair treatment of  muslimahs and very much against some of the unislamic "cultural" adaptations of islam (i.e banning women from the mosque etc.). In various parts in the second book as well as the first he mentions complaints by convert muslimahs of the less than cordial treatment that they *sometimes* receive in muslim communities. I got the impression he was extremely sensitive to such issues, partly because he has three daughters(actually the part where he talks about his daughters is one of the most endearing pieces of the second book to me) and he dedicates his books to them.

Hmm..can you tell me which book it is? and which chapter? can u perhaps post the offending paragraph? i don't doubt what you read it's just that i can't believe i've missed such an IMPORTANT detail  :o
05/30/02 at 01:30:47
Mohja
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Mohja
05/30/02 at 01:25:18
Sr. kathy, i think i found the passage you were refering to. it's on the "Even Angels Ask" book on page 23, the second paragraph?

Chapter two is my favourite chapter in the whole book! it's where he explains the story of creation and its significance according to the Qur'an but he does it in a unique and captivating way. He starts out with a western non-muslim perspective (in this case what has been related to him since childhood by his parents,school,etc) and then proceeds to examine verses from the Qur’an that deal with the same subject. Each time he sets up the reader with an expectation(again from a western background) and then counters it with the Quranic version. In the paragraph about the Woman (aka Eve the Temptress) he's actually relating the Christian perspective and then after he builds enough momentum for this expectation (of the treacherous Eve and the sin that Adam’s progeny will inherit as a result of her betrayal) he compares it with a verse from the Qur'an which totally dismantles such an idea. So in effect he’s showing the stark contrast between the Islamic view in which *both* Adam and Eve transgressed, repented and Allah[swt] forgave them for their sin with the Christian doctrine of original sin and Eve as the one who conspired with Satan to corrupt Adam and thus became deserving of divine punishment on this earth in the form of menstrual bleeding and the pains of labor.

i hope this helped :)
05/30/02 at 02:11:10
Mohja
Re: Randoi Questions for Reverts
Kathy
05/30/02 at 17:03:29
[slm]

I see what you mean.
Even after you pointed it out- it took me three reads to see that he contradicted the entire paragraph.

He offers a lengthy paragraph on the version commonly known.  Then he gives a 1/2 a sentence with out printed proof to the Islamic version. It is too bad that he gave such little space to such an important fact. I remember when I read the real way the story went down ... it was a wonderful revelation- especially for the woman!

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. I appreciate it.


Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Leslie
06/03/02 at 11:48:26
[slm]
1) How long have you been Muslim?
Almost 2 years

2) Did you ever regret becoming Muslim (be honest!!!)?
Never.

3) Is there anything you miss since becoming Muslim?
Swimming.  The women only swim times are for the most part inconvenient for me (but a friend told me of a session on Sundays that I will try to attend).

4) What was the hardest part of reverting for you?
Dealing with my family -- my mother cried when she found out.  My sister still makes fun of some of the more obvious differences between the way I live my life and the way she lives hers.  She often tells me that I don't need to wear hijab in front of her boyfriend, because [i]he[/i] doesn't care.  ::) She has a hard time understanding that he doesn't need to care, I do.

5) [similar to Q4] What was the greatest sacrifice you made in becoming Muslim?
No sacrifice was made

6) If you are a sister - How long did it take before you started to wear hijab?
It took a little over a year before I felt comfortable wearing it full time.  I still feel awkward when I meet with people whom I haven't seen in a long time.  I almost feel that I have to excuse my appearance!!  (I know I shouldn't care what anybody thinks).  In sha'a allah this will get easier in time.

7) How long did it take for you to pray regularly, 5x daily?
I started praying right away, with a printed guide that showed me the positions, although I had started to learn the prayers before I said the shahada.  There have been some lapses here and there, but I have never deliberately stopped praying.  For some reason, I often miss the maghrib prayers.  I think it's because I'm usually busy at that time, and the prayer slips my mind.  I have to keep on top of this.

8. Have you ever "relapsed", ie stopped praying for a while, or stopped wearing hijab? If so, how long after your reversion did this happen?
Not yet, and in sha'a allah I never will.

9) Have you ever felt being Muslim is not worth the effort?
No.

10) Have you ever felt you have reached a point where you have come so far that you can't go back, yet you are not sure if you have the strength to go forward?
As for the first part of the question, I know I can't turn back.  I will be muslim for the rest of my life.  As for the second question, sometimes I do
get discouraged, but I find comfort in the following ayah:
"On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear." (2:286)
In the end, I know I'll have the strength to go forward, even if it doesn't seem so in the moment.

[wlm]
Leslie
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Mohja
06/04/02 at 19:36:30
[quote]
It is too bad that he gave such little space to such an important fact.
[/quote]

i'm guessing here but i think part of the reason he didn't focus on that part (the way he did with the forgiveness part) was in order to stress the fact that in islam life on earth is NOT considered a punishment(as i believe the christians view it) for adam and eve's sins but rather another stage in the human's spiritual development, which is the reason why he was created in the first place. Now these two views have some pretty *different* implications regarding the relationship between God and mankind and the nature of salvation.

it's interesting though to get another person's perspective on the same book, especially a convert. i'd be really interested to know your take on the whole book after you finish reading it, if you don't mind :)
06/04/02 at 19:40:49
Mohja
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
sadiqah44
06/07/02 at 12:11:03
1.  Alhumdulillah i have been muslim for 18 months now.

2.  I have never regretted becoming Muslim but at times I have worried that I was doing the right thing by my children and I also wondered if I would stick to Islam.  I now know I will.

3.  I dont miss anything of my non-muslim life it wasnt good now life is much better.

4.  Telling My Dad, he was sick with cancer and I was worried about shocking him.  Alhumdulillah he was so happy when I did tell him and wanted a photo of me in Hijabb with him in Hospital.  He died last march.

5.  cannot think of anything.

6.  I started wearing Hijabb during my reasearch about 3 months before becoming Muslim.  Only part time at first now I wear Niqab.

7.  Unfortuately I am still learning the prayers but I am trying to pray with what I know 5 x daily.

8.  Recently during the end of my fathers illness i found praying difficult not through not wanting to but through tiredness and travel also lack of clean space to pray.  That was about 2 -3 months ago.

9.  Oh no at times I have felt confused but always think in a year I will understand more and try to learn about what is confusing me.

10.  Yes recently,  I dont want to go back.  I just feel with all the presures around me at the moment and over the last few months that it is hard to go forward.  So I remember that Allah only gives us what we can cope with.
Also i decieded to push myself and now I am doing an online class called Islam 101 and now 102.

I do not mind the questions and hope that InshaAllah the answers help in some way.
I love being Muslim and find each day I grow in Islam.   :-*
06/07/02 at 12:14:18
sadiqah44
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Muneerah134
06/17/02 at 12:17:43
 [slm]

These are very good questions.

1) How long have you been Muslim?
Since 1978.

2) Did you ever regret becoming Muslim (be honest!!!)?
I have my moments,  :( brief and infrequent (alhamdullilah). Usually when I am physically exhausted, or going through something difficult - right before I pray to Allah for relief and/or thank Him for the good things.

3) Is there anything you miss since becoming Muslim?
-Going to a nice restaurant and having a glass of wine (I used to love a good wine!), good conversation and music (I studied music until my mid-twenties).
-Bacon (beef and turkey, oh well, let's just say I am used to them now! ;)) and my mother's bar-b-que pork roast.
-Spending time with my family during holidays. We spend the Eid's with our friends and their families, but I have no close relatives that are Muslim.
-Swimming and the beach. I have spent a lot of time at the beach, I love it there. Now it's not quite the same (no private beaches near where I live!) I swim at my father's house though, his pool is secluded, so alhamdullilah I have an available substitute.

4) What was the hardest part of reverting for you?
Work, I had a very good position and there was quite a bit of hidden (and not so hidden) prejudice. I resigned eventually and it was replaced alhamdullilah with one that is even better two years ago.

5) [similar to Q4] What was the greatest sacrifice you made in becoming Muslim?
I believe that, inshaAllah, anything that has changed or will change, has been or will be replaced by something better. So, honestly I  :-) can't think of anything. Alhamdullilah, compared to many, I haven't had to sacrifice anything.

6) If you are a sister - How long did it take before you started to wear hijab?
I started right away. Partially stopped in 1989 (when I got that "good" job, I didn't wear it to work) put it on all the time again 6 years ago and haven't stopped since.

7) How long did it take for you to pray regularly, 5x daily?
About a year.

8) Have you ever "relapsed", ie stopped praying for a while, or stopped wearing hijab? If so, how long after your reversion did this happen?
Again in about 1989, when I changed jobs. Before that, I worked but always wore hijab, it wasn't a problem with any job before that. When I took it off during work, that crept into the rest of my practice. I found excuses not to stop to pray, stopped taking Fridays off, missed Eid's, spent more time with non-Muslims, etc.

9) Have you ever felt being Muslim is not worth the effort?
No, never. But I have felt the difficulty sometimes in this world to live as a Muslim.

10) Have you ever felt you have reached a point where you have come so far that you can't go back, yet you are not sure if you have the strength to go forward?
Yes, and I pray through it. I read through it (in addition to "Struggling to Surrender", and "Even Angels Ask", look for "Believing As Ourselves" - excellent!)  - I read Qur'an every day! I know I am on the right track when Shaitaan throws "stuff" in my path, and when I am tested. It is prayer that gets me through the hard times, and prayer that keeps me mindful through the good times. I am well pleased with Allah ta'Ala as my God, with Muhammad  [saw] as my Prophet, and al-Islam as my way of life!

This was a good series of questions. It made me even more grateful to Allah (SWT) for the blessings I have received in my life. Kinda puts things in perspective. Alhamdullilah. :)
Muneerah
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
yunus
06/20/02 at 13:55:45
Salaam

1 I have been muslim roughly 7 months

2 never regreted becoming muslim I had always felt a void in myself before coming to Islam that I tried to fill with drugs. It was a big change from how i lived before

3 not really anything that i would miss is just bad for me and would lead me down the wrong path from that of the worship of Allah

4 Hardest part I guess would have to be breaking up with my girlfriend who I had been going out with for over a year and had just had a baby with. Also I lost a lot of my "friends" or most of my "friends" i feel like treat me different. My parents did not really want  me to become Muslim especially after September 11. Also I guess it was hard to get used to the structure that Islam provides at first

5 I guess greatest sacrifice would have to be breaking up with my girlfirend of 1 year and half who I just had a baby with after she told me she would not marry me

7 I began praying right away It took me awhile though to get the prayer down right (hopefully i am doing it right now)  and memorize stuff

8 I never stopped praying may Allah forgive me for my sins though

9 No man was created for no other thing than worshipping Allah. Anyways If i di` stick to Islam I would probably be in jail or hooked on drugs again. Islam gives me the structure I need. Also I am striving for paradise now not the hellfire like i was before

10 God knows best but i dont think that i could go back to my old life. I try not to worry about wheter Ill be muslim a year from know or tomorrow but just do what I have to do to be muslim now
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Sis_Malak
06/25/02 at 04:09:27
:-) [slm]

 Yunus,
   I just want to thank you for this comment:
"I try not to worry about wheter Ill be muslim a year from know or tomorrow but just do what I have to do to be muslim now "

It really touched me and made me think. Thanks for the insight.
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Halima
06/25/02 at 08:42:08
I am touched!  Really touched! Mansha-Allah!  By those who were brave enough to answer the questions here, without fear or embarassment.  Especially since it was not an easy feat.

You are not the only ones struggling.  Even born Muslims (I am one of them) go throught the same kind of struggle.  You would think, why?  or how?  Every once in a while we deviate from the right path.  And we know that we are deviating and doing something that is not right.  But it happens (one because we are humans but also because of temptation).  Not good excuses at all, but it happens whatever the excuse.

Breaking peformance of prayers (most women do this after menstral period, they just do not get back to prayers after "toharah" cleansing one self) and it is the worst excuse, actually.  There are born Muslim women who still refuse to wear "hijab".  By the way, there are many forms of hijab.  I don't actually were hijab but I cover my hear with a scarf.  You would think age will be one factor that will change Muslim women's behaviour but it does not.  

So, it is more of the person you are, how firmly you believe, your fear of Allah, working towards your "akhera" the hereafter.  I am pressed by you sisters and pray to Allah to give your the strenght to endure even more, to learn more, not to be afraid to ask, to be true to yourselves first and May Allah reward your efforts a thousand folds, INSHA-ALLAH.  

You all have got my respect and appreciation.

Shukran.

Halima
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Kathy
06/25/02 at 11:14:29
[slm]

Hey Al- Manar Mod! I know a couple of us sent our replies in - have you compiled them yet?
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
Fatimah
06/25/02 at 22:53:46
1) How long have you been Muslim?:  Since the begining of 1999

2) Did you ever regret becoming Muslim (be honest!!!)?:   NEVER!!

3) Is there anything you miss since becoming Muslim?:  Not really, maybe all those gifts and warm feelings at Christmas and birthdays.

4) What was the hardest part of reverting for you?: I was scared to wear hijab and accepting I wont go to hell if I dont believe the whole Jesus (pbuh) story told by the Christians. (I didnt believe in it anyways..but I still had to let go of it, you know what I mean?)

5) [similar to Q4] What was the greatest sacrifice you made in becoming Muslim?: Well, although I had no hardships, I do feel I sacrificed almost everything in my life then.

6) If you are a sister - How long did it take before you started to wear hijab? About 2 weeks. I didnt have a hijab yet, so I wore one of those white things the brothers in the gulf wear. I just put it on like a hijab. Once the sisters saw me they felt sorry for me having to wearing it, and they made some beautiful hijabs available for me to buy.

7) How long did it take for you to pray regularly, 5x daily? I was learning and praying before I became muslim :)

8) Have you ever "relapsed", ie stopped praying for a while, or stopped wearing hijab? If so, how long after your reversion did this happen?: I've never "relapsed", but I did take off my hijab once when I went to visit my real mom who didnt know I was muslim yet. This was over 3 years ago. I felt so guily that day, I sat down and told her I'm muslim and I wear hijab. She respected me, although her husband didnt. May Allah forgive my mistake.

9) Have you ever felt being Muslim is not worth the effort?:  NEVER..its my only way to Jannah!

10) Have you ever felt you have reached a point where you have come so far that you can't go back, yet you are not sure if you have the strength to go forward?:  No, alhamdulilah. I keep trying to go forward as much as I can..in worship and knowledge. My strength is from Allah. I'd never want to go back..would anyone like to be thrown in the fire? Not me!!  :-)


Thanks for the questions...that was fun.
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
UmmZaid
07/03/02 at 03:12:08
[slm]

Ok, I'll bite... even though I don't consider myself a "revert" or "convert," but rather a Hanifa (Alhamdulilah) who was raised in a non Muslim home.  

1) How long have you been Muslim?

>> I've been practicing for 4 1/2 yrs.  Before that, I didn't have sufficient knowledge to practice, and acted only on the scant amount of information about Islam that I had.

2) Did you ever regret becoming Muslim (be honest!!!)?

>> Can't answer.  I guess my question would be do I regret openly practicing Shari'a?  Answer, no.

3) Is there anything you miss since becoming Muslim?

>> Since practicing Islam, I miss sausage on pizza.  And the freedom of believing I had little to no accountability for my actions (see, I had very little knowledge of Islam).

4) What was the hardest part of starting to practice for you? (changed wording)

>> Hijab, the adab of behavior

5) [similar to Q4] What was the greatest sacrifice you made in becoming Muslim?

>> Close friendships w/ guys

6) If you are a sister - How long did it take before you started to wear hijab?

>> Too long, I suppose, but I couldn't have done it any sooner, I think...

7) How long did it take for you to pray regularly, 5x daily?

>> Too long

8) Have you ever "relapsed", ie stopped praying for a while, or stopped wearing hijab? If so, how long after your reversion did this happen?

>> I wore hijab (headscarf, long sleeeves & skirts) on and off while I went through that period of not knowing which argument was the Islamically valid one (hijab is fard vs. hijab is sunnah vs. hijab not required vs. hijab is an innovation)

9) Have you ever felt being Muslim is not worth the effort?

>> No.  Do I expect something (Jennah) for nothing?  

10) Have you ever felt you have reached a point where you have come so far that you can't go back, yet you are not sure if you have the strength to go forward?

>> Yes sometimes I move too fast.  Just like I drive too fast.  
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
haaris
07/03/02 at 10:54:11
Asalaamu Aleikoum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

Sorry for the delay ...

[quote]1) How long have you been Muslim? [/quote]

For almost five years now, Alhamdulillah.

[quote]2) Did you ever regret becoming Muslim (be honest!!!)? [/quote]

Nope.

[quote]3) Is there anything you miss since becoming Muslim? [/quote]

For a couple of months after I reverted I missed having a glass of wine with my dinner.  It really surprised me just how quickly alcohol meant nothing to me anymore.  Subhana Allah.

[quote]4) What was the hardest part of reverting for you? [/quote]

Admitting to myself that I believed in God.

[quote]5) [similar to Q4] What was the greatest sacrifice you made in becoming Muslim? [/quote]

Swapping the bliss of the ignorant for the responsibilities that go with Shahada.  But that, of course, is only a sacrifice in this world, Insha Allah.

[quote]6) If you are a sister - How long did it take before you started to wear hijab? [/quote]

N/A.

[quote]7) How long did it take for you to pray regularly, 5x daily? [/quote]

Way too long.  May Allah forgive me.

[quote]8) Have you ever "relapsed", ie stopped praying for a while, or stopped wearing hijab? If so, how long after your reversion did this happen? [/quote]

Yep, a couple of times.

[quote]9) Have you ever felt being Muslim is not worth the effort? [/quote]

Oh no.

[quote]10) Have you ever felt you have reached a point where you have come so far that you can't go back, yet you are not sure if you have the strength to go forward? [/quote]

A lot of the time.  But I trust in the mercy of Allah, I look around me, think about the signs of Allah and that fills me with the strength.  Coming to the Madina helps me too.  Seeing a whole bunch of other brothers and sisters getting on with it, through their own trials and tribulations, gives me the strength to get on and do my bit too.

Re: Random Questions for Reverts
sabirah
07/07/02 at 20:07:10
1. 4 yrs alhamdulillah
2. never
3. sharing holidays with family
4. telling my mom
5. wearing hijab
6. 2 yrs
7. 1 yr
8. yes, 1 yr
9. never
10. hmmm toughy...yes i could never give up islam, and i feel like being a muslim these days is the hardest thing, but its worth it.
Re: Random Questions for Reverts
eleanor
07/16/02 at 04:54:17
[slm]

Jazak Allah  to you all for answering!! You have no idea how much it helps to see people who had/are having similar experiences  or difficulties as me. I suppose I'll have to answer soon, but I am on such rocky footing at the moment I don't think it would do anyone any good to read my answers.

emm, kathy, I only got your answer actually, so there is nothing to compile... But it was much appreciated all the same.

Thanks to you all :)

wasalaam
eleanor


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