Assalamualaikum - seeking guidance on my deen and what feels right
Assalamualaikum. I’m having a hard time putting everything into one post, so I’ll write it out and hope inshallah it makes sense. Lately my deen has been improving alhamdulillah, but I’m struggling with the modern information overload. I spend a lot of time scrolling short videos and my feed shows a lot of Islamic material, which is good, but it exposes me to many different takes from various schools and approaches. That swings my iman - some clips strengthen me and make me feel close to Allah, and others make me doubt and feel confused. I’m drawn to content with a Sufi vibe that emphasizes Allah’s love, mercy, and light. Hearing about His compassion motivates me to be a better Muslim. On the flip side, I see more literalist content that feels very harsh and quick to label things as kufr, and that just makes me question everything I’ve been taught. I’m not trying to ignore Allah’s justice or the reality of sin - I know sin is serious, that we should avoid it and repent - but I’m naturally more motivated by reminders of Allah’s mercy and love than by fear alone. This has left me anxious about what path to follow. I’m scared of choosing a wrong approach that might lead me away from Allah or to Jahannam. I don’t know how much to rely on what feels right in my heart. I wouldn’t call myself a Sufi or belong to any specific label; I simply say I’m Muslim and hope to stay that way until I die inshallah. I pray, do dhikr, repent, avoid sin, and try to do good. But when is that enough, and how can I be sure I’m on the right path? What if a mistaken understanding of Allah from some school leads me astray? Has anyone else gone through this or is going through it now? Any practical advice or reminders would be really appreciated. JazākAllāhu khayran.