Are there still Muslims who guarded their chastity before marriage?
Assalamu alaikum. I was raised very sheltered from a lot of harsh things in the world. My family was religious, my parents were protective, and my friends treated me like I was naive so they didn’t tell me much about what was going on. Lately, after some difficult events in my life, I’ve started coming out of my shell and meeting new people. I’ve seen things that shocked and saddened me. I didn’t realize how common this was among Muslims, especially in our desi circles. I never expected that a place like Pakistan, which seems conservative, would hide so much behind a pious exterior. I also went through a divorce some time ago and it broke me. There were many problems in that marriage, but I never imagined my ex-husband had engaged in premarital relationships. At the start, his shy, awkward behavior made me think it was his first time too, talking to a woman like that. Later I found college photos and videos suggesting he had female friends. That hurt because I’d never had male friends and he knew that. At first I told myself people do foolish things when they’re young; maybe he just hung out with girls like many guys at my college. I trusted him when he said he’d never liked anyone but me. After the divorce I learned he’d been in a serious relationship with someone else and had even agreed to marry her, then didn’t. That pattern fit how he left me. Finding out helped me move on, but now I’m very wary of men. It feels like few people guard their chastity for the sake of Allah before marriage. Many are openly involved in relationships, sometimes even asking others about their boyfriends or girlfriends. I find myself unable to trust people the way I used to. I always believed Muslims generally avoided these relationships - I can understand one‑sided crushes or talking with marriage in mind, but full relationships with intimacy and declarations of love is hard for me to accept. Are there still people who struggle against their desires and try to stay on the deen in this time of fitna? JazakAllah khair for any honest stories or reassurance.