Assalamu Alaikum - Feeling trapped at home and needing support (13M)
Assalamu Alaikum, I'm a 13-year-old boy and I need some help and advice. My situation: I'm living in a small house where it's really hard for me to practise Islam. My brother and my mother both dislike Islam, and that makes things emotionally painful. For about a year I started learning more about our deen and trying to practise it - I was born Muslim but never had the chance to learn properly before. Since I began trying to follow Islam, my family has emotionally abused me a lot. My brother's words have always hit me hard because I grew up around him, and even when I know something is wrong, it still affects me deeply. I got stronger over time though, Alhamdulillah, and two friends who were really good practicing Muslims helped me a lot at first, but I lost contact with them and it's much harder now. I haven't been able to keep up with my prayers consistently - sometimes I pray and then the next day everything falls apart because of my environment. School adds more stress. I even reached a point of severe anxiety where I almost took my own life. Privacy is nearly nonexistent: my mum often comes into my room for clothes, and I share a room with my brother (my dad and brother are often away for months, but still). I've learned a fair bit about Islam now and have managed to hold onto my identity for a year despite constant pressure, Alhamdulillah. I feel like I was one small step away from giving up my deen, but Allah kept me. Living here feels toxic - I don't have friends or any safe spaces to turn to, and I'm trying to find ways to build a calm place for myself so I can recover from the constant internal struggle. I've been barely keeping up with life and habits, doing just the bare minimum. I want to be free mentally, to be strong and unapologetic in my faith, but even starting feels impossible. Little negative things about Islam around me trigger that trauma and make me doubt, even though I don't want to. I don't want to fail Allah or be lazy with prayer, but it feels like a huge weight. Sometimes I struggle to feel that Allah understands me, even though I know He does. I tried looking online for others who have had the same experience but couldn't find anything that really matched, which makes me feel lonely. At the same time I'm grateful for this hardship because I hope it will bring good, Insha'Allah. If anyone has advice on how to cope, find privacy, stay firm in the deen under this pressure, or resources for young Muslims in similar situations, please help me. I've tried many times but keep falling back into the same cycle. JazakAllahu khairan for reading.