Question 1 – Looking for Direction in Life

Salam sister,

I’m a university student and my problem is that I feel I lack a sense of direction in life. I’m losing motivation, and despite asking many people for advice, I can’t decide any career. I didn’t pass the exam to get into the program of studies I had considered, though I’m not too sure if I wanted to do it anyways.

Other program applications have high requirements, and I don’t want to pay so much money just to apply for admission for courses I don’t know if I can get into, or stay committed to. 

 Despite taking very few classes in university, I’m still struggling so much. Even when the classes interest me, I completely lose motivation to do assignments, and I think this might be since I don’t know where I’m heading. I have a love for writing stories, but I don’t see how I can make a living out of this. I’m told it’s only a side-job.

And I’m also scared about my future: how I’ll manage to earn money when everything is so expensive, run a house, all the chores. People I know have gotten divorced, which makes me really scared for marriage too though I don’t want to get married yet. And I keep worrying about losing good things in life, like friends, etc. So many things are stressing me out, but I feel guilty because I don’t want to be ungrateful despite all the good things in my life.

I’d really appreciate your advice. Jazakallah Khairan.

Question 2 – OCD

Hello, I really would like some help, I’ve developed very bad religious ocd where I question everything about Islam and desperately looking for facts. If I don’t get my answers straight away I start having panic attacks.

Question 3 – Death

From last 20 days , i have a feeling that my death is very near . I do dream some weird things. I have weird feeling . Suffering from severe mood swings . Crying over really small things and also on happy things. At night my body becomes heavy .And i offer now salah.

Question 4 – I’m suffering from doubtful thoughts that make me question Islam

Assalamualaikum! A few days ago, I saw and read this statement that made me doubt my faith. I felt very heartbroken and dejected until I did my research and found the justification behind it. I was relieved for a moment, but then that same feeling of doubt took over me again. No matter how hard I tried to push those thoughts away, they would always pop up in my mind and ruin everything for me. They haunt my mind whenever I do ibadah and have distracted me from my chores, studies, and hobbies. I used to suffer from depression a few years ago, and the reason why I am still alive and holding on is Islam. I genuinely love Islam, and having these thoughts bother me is killing me from the inside. It has caused me a great deal of stress. Why do I still have this feeling of doubt even though I have already found the answer? It’s like I’m being lied to by my own mind. These thoughts keep convincing me to doubt Islam, and I absolutely hate that feeling. I feel so bad when I actually believe these thoughts. I desperately want them to go away for good, but it’s really hard. I’ve been suffering from intrusive thoughts since 2 years ago and suffer from waswas too, so escaping doubts is so, so difficult for me. I’m not sure if I have OCD or not, since getting a diagnosis or going to therapy is currently not an option for me due to personal reasons. May I ask if there are any ways that I could heal from this? Thank you.

Question 5 – I need to know what is wrong with me and if I am still a Muslim

Assalamualaikum, my name is Juwairia, i want to know about my faith and what I can do to better it. Lately I have been feeling miserable and off. I have been praying less and repeatedly kept procrastinating about doing religious deeds like reading the Quran and doing Zikr. I don’t know why im acting this way. I keep feeling like Allah is so far away from me and I will never reach him. I feel like I have lost connections with Allah. I still pray everyday but I miss most of the prayers due to the lack of motivation. I am constantly so tired and restless. I don’t feel at peace or reassurance that Allah will always make things better for me and that everything that is happening in my life will eventually lead to something greater. I am also very ungrateful and greedy and I always want more and are never grateful with what I have. I really want to change all this. I love Allah SWT and I want to do things that make Him happy. I want to feel at ease.

Question 6 – Anxious Muslim Sister Due to Porn Watched

Salaam Akh/ Ukht, I’ve been traumatized and I’m the cause of the problem. I’m a female Muslim in her early 20s with possibility to get married inshaAllah. I’m ashamed to say I stumbled upon a series of immoral videos involving pornography with both sexes, male on male, female on female. It was a lot of despicable Haram acts I saw with my eyes and honestly the guilt is killing me slowly. I feel it will affect me psychologically/ sex orientation. I also feel something was already wrong with me psychologically/ sex orientation for me to have watched it. I’m beginning to doubt my sanity as I can’t remove the evil memory from my mind. It makes me scared that these evil intrusive images will forever haunt my mind: making me doubt my sanity, doubt if I’ll ever end up being a completely good wife or mother or even muslimah. I haven’t watched it again and I have no desire to do so. I have repented severally and promised never to again but it has completely robbed me off my peace of mind and I feel my life may be doomed for watching pornography. I feel ashamed and guilty. My life is so depressing, I can’t eat or sleep well and I cry so much. Please what can I do for Allah to ease this burden on me?

Question 7 – My mother won’t let me remove unwanted hair

I’m a 21 year old girl & I live with my parents. My father is very neglectful & he hardly ever gives me any money to spend on myself or for buying personal products for myself. He even buys period products for us himself there’s nothing wrong with that but he He’s made it the norm and will not give us the money to buy anything for ourselves. He never let my mom & I go to the store whether its by ourselves or with him but when he takes us there he always creates chaos and becomes hysterical to the point it becomes abusive and he does this to humiliate us and prevent us from going shopping. He’s always in a hurry as soon as he enters a shop he sets a timer in his head and keeps irritating every few minutes to Hury up and leave. We barely get to buy what we need and often return home dissatisfied with our hurried purchases. Apart from my father’s abusive behaviour, my mother will never ever let me wax excess body hair especially on my arms and legs. It gets me very emotional because all girls my age remove those hairs because they look unpleasant. Also, my body hair is very long and I often complain to my female relatives about it but they don’t seem to care My friends tell me to remove it and defy my mother because its my choice and I’m doing no harm to myself or others. My mother’s excuse is that my hair will grow back in weird ways and look worse, thicker, darker, etc. So I spent a lot of time searching for the right products on the Internet and I found some really positive reviews and experiences from women who used the hard waxing/ brazilian waxing to remove body and facial hair. I also want to remove my facial hair but mu mother tells me it’s not very prominent and I’m the only one who notices others don’t. But my own brother and many friends have told me that it noticeable so I’ve been wanting to remove it for many years. I would’ve done it secretly but as I said I don’t earn money nor do my parents give me any pocket money to buy personal products fro myself. I’m very sad. Please advice me. I tried speaking to my mother and showing her the positive experience so people bit she thinks it’s all fake and doesn’t ebeielve its going to be beneficial for me. She’s very dismissive. Apart from that, my father is abusive in every way possible which makes my life harder. I’ve written about it on aboutislam.com before. So there are so many things weighing me down but for once I wish I could experience a hairless and pleasant face and body like every other girl.

Question 8 – About marriage

Assalaamu alaikum. I am 21 years old girl. I am suffering from a disease which is not curable and for which I have to take medicines lifelong. I am getting marriage proposals but I don’t want to get married without informing the boy about the disease I am suffering from. This disease can also affect my married life. I’m suffering from psoriasis which is visible and affect my skin condition . I am feeling into depression because of this disease of mine. I don’t understand what to do. Please, guide me and help me. Thank you. Jazak Allah khair.