Any Muslim brothers or sisters with autism here? Assalamu alaikum
Assalamu alaikum. I was diagnosed with level 1 autism, and finally I understand why following some Islamic practices has been so hard for me. I wanted to share my experience and see if anyone else can relate or has advice. Main issue: I can't, no matter how much I try, keep up with the five daily prayers consistently. I became Muslim three years ago and this has been an ongoing inner struggle. I know how important salah is, and I feel very guilty about not managing it. Because I have strong cognitive rigidity and need fixed routines, trying to add the prayers into my day throws me into chaos. I live the same way each day because it gives me calm and predictability. When I try to change that pattern for prayer times, everything inside me gets disrupted. First: I really hate being interrupted while I’m doing something. Neurotypical people might not get how exhausting it is to be focused on an activity and then suddenly be forced to stop and switch tasks. It can feel physically painful, and I get irritated and angry. When I go to pray I often have very negative feelings, so prayer turns into a burden instead of a peaceful act. Second: The unpredictability of the schedule. I try to anticipate every unusual thing that will happen in my day, and that causes a lot of anxiety. I’m constantly checking the clock and mentally preparing for the next prayer time, and that preparation is very tiring. I can manage for a few days sometimes, but it always ends the same way: I can’t keep it up and I end up breaking down. Ramadan is especially hard for me. The sensory overload and the big change in routine - hunger, thirst, heat, different timings - make it feel unbearable. It’s also frustrating to explain this to people who don’t share these struggles. A sheikh once told me I was just lazy when I asked for help with prayer difficulties, which hurt. Now that I understand my diagnosis better, it makes more sense to me. If there are other Muslim brothers or sisters out there with autism or similar experiences, how do you cope? Any practical tips for making salah and Ramadan more manageable while staying sincere? Jazākallāh khayr for listening.