As-salamu alaykum - Feeling lost after finding a Muslim woman who turned out different than I hoped
As-salamu alaykum everyone, I need to get this off my chest. I grew up in a Muslim family but in a Western area with very few Muslims. I always wanted to marry and stay true to my faith. Because there weren’t many young Muslims around, most of my friends were non-Muslim, and over time I felt more and more out of place on issues like sexuality, money, and politics. I cared a lot about my deen and had chances to fall into zina, but I avoided it out of respect for Allah and for the future spouse I hoped for. Eventually I met Muslim people and I was relieved and happy. But slowly I noticed many choosing haram. Sometimes my non-Muslim friends acted more responsibly than some Muslims, subhanAllah. That made the path to marriage feel confusing. I saw people doing one-night things, friends-with-benefits, long on-and-off relationships - and I kept asking myself who I would marry if my standards stayed the same. I felt jealous of those who found love through haram while I tried to find it the halal way and kept failing. I prayed to Allah to keep me away from fitna, and then I met a Muslim sister I genuinely liked. It felt like a blessing - someone who respected what mattered most to me. But as I learned more, I discovered she had been involved in zina and had unhealthy influences around her. It shattered me. We had a real connection, but there were too many red flags for me to ignore. I’m in my late twenties, I’ve not committed zina, and despite a stable academic job I live with my parents to help them, save money, and avoid temptation - alhamdulillah. Instead of feeling proud, I feel like I’ve failed. I feel humiliated that younger Muslims who are sexually active secretly seem to get respect, while those of us trying to stay halal are overlooked. I feel betrayed by my own community. Is hookup culture just a stage people go through? Am I being unreasonable or extreme? What was the point of waiting - do people really learn to be good spouses by doing haram first? Didn’t Allah want us to preserve our sexuality for the one we choose? I’m exhausted, brothers and sisters. I’m struggling to trust people and even feel shaken in my trust of Allah, astaghfirullah. Marriage now feels like a humiliation. Those who stay within halal feel like backup plans. My thoughts have been getting very dark and I can’t carry this alone anymore. I’m asking other Muslims for honest feedback and advice. How do you cope with finding that people you hoped to marry have been in haram? How do you reconcile disappointment like this while keeping faith and hope for a righteous spouse? Jazakum Allahu khairan for any sincere counsel and duas.