When you retrun home a changed man....

Assalamu Alikum...

If you are to go back home a changed woman or man...how do you deal with your family's reaction? with your friends? and a loved one perhaps?

I mean... a lot of us even though we are muslims from birth, we weren't really practicing Muslims before we left the country. For some of us, we left the country still not observing the proper way of wearing hijab, or maybe still didnot grow a beard...we still listened to music, had male and female friends...and for some even girl or boyfriends. How did you or how will you deal with all of this when you go home the complete opposite of who you used to be? how do you cut ties with people whom you've loved ? how will you make them understand that the concept of boyfriend and girlfriend relationship is haram in islam? how about your close friends fromt he opposite sex whom you've been friends with since high school, how do you tell them that you can't be friends anymore becasue it is haram?

How do you deal with peoples' reaction to your proper hijab...maybe even niqab? to you beard and your jeans that's hanging above your ankle?

And above all...how do you stay firm in your deen when everyone around you is encouraging you to go back to how you used to be...the you who'd chill out ... the you who was part of a high school or college band..the you who devoted his heart to someone other than Allah.

I think for all of us who found Islam( alhamdulillah...wa shukr Allah) when we left the Philippines...we can all relate to the above situations...

lets share our experiences and if we could advice one another on how we can stay frim in our beleifs...then InshaALlah that would be very beneficial...


wa jazakumullahu kharian...
wassalam

This verse I guess is an assurance for all of us...

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "indeed you will not leave anything for the sake of Allaah except that Allaah will replace it with something better than it."

InshaALlah may Allah give us all the strength to leave that which angers him only for his sake. ameen.

For indeed he will replace a bad company with one who remebers Allah frequent. And he will replace haram and false love with love that is everlasting and true...and surely he will give strength to those who ask him for it.

The great ascetic Shaqîq Al-Balakhî – Allâh have mercy on him – was
once asked, “What is the mark of [true] repentance?” He replied,
“Continued crying over past sins, deep fear of falling into them again,
staying away from bad company, and keeping the company of good people.”
Abû Bakr Al-Daynûrî, Al-Mujâlasah wa Jawâhir Al-‘Ilm article 2645.

May he save all of us from falling back to our days if jahiliyah...ameen...

wassalam