Balancing my Hindu parents, my faith and my future marriage as a convert
Assalamu alaikum, dear brothers and sisters. I’m an Indian Muslim convert, raised in Germany. My whole family follows Hinduism and my parents are really connected to their faith and heritage. After years of searching, I embraced Islam nearly two years ago – alhamdulillah. I told my parents earlier this year, and it stirred up a lot of trouble, with big arguments and long spells where they hardly talked to me. I ended up moving into my own place. Even so, I tried my hardest to be kind and a good son. Alhamdulillah, things are better now. They know I’m Muslim but they don’t truly accept it – we just avoid the topic altogether. My bond with my mother is close again, and I really don’t want to lose her or my family. But I take my deen seriously: I pray five times a day. I’ve promised my parents that I won’t deliberately show my worship around them, to keep the peace. I practise freely at home. Here’s my first worry: where does Islam draw the line between keeping ties with non-Muslim parents and giving up my religious duties? For instance, when I visit, I sometimes delay or combine prayers because I’m scared to pray in their house. What’s a convert supposed to do? I don’t want family worries to drag me into neglecting salah, but I also don’t want to wreck the relationship we’ve rebuilt. My bigger concern is about marriage. I dream of marrying a practising Muslim sister and creating a Muslim household. My parents, though, don’t want a Nikah or an Islamic family life for me. Sooner or later, they’ll have to accept – inshaAllah – that my wife will be Muslim and our children will grow up with Islam. I know I can’t escape disappointing them entirely. My aim is to avoid unnecessary drama without sacrificing my faith. But I worry about being unfair to my future wife. She’d be stepping into a tough situation. I never want to turn into that husband who keeps saying things like, “Don’t act this way near my parents,” or “Hide that because my mother will get upset.” I don’t want to press her to compromise her Islam just to keep peace with my family. Sometimes I even wonder if this should shape who I marry. Like, should I look for someone who gets converts or has a similar background? Or – and I’m uneasy thinking this – would marrying a practising sister who doesn’t wear hijab make things smoother, since her faith might be less obvious at first? I’m not even sure if having these thoughts is wrong. I also question if I’d just be a burden to a wife. I’d be honest about my family before any commitment, but is it unfair to pull a devoted Muslim woman into this? Deep down, I’m trying to figure out: how can I stay a good Muslim, obeying Allah’s commands, while being a loving son to my Hindu parents and a solid husband without shortchanging my wife’s Islamic rights just to please my folks? Where’s the limit where caring for parents stops when it clashes with my duties to Allah or my future wife’s rights? And practically, how do I gently move towards marriage, Nikah and children when my parents are so against Islam? I’m not looking for excuses to soften my practise or put family before Allah. I honestly just want to know how to handle things with hikmah, without needlessly losing my family. JazakAllahu khayran for any advice – especially from scholars, fellow converts, or anyone who’s been through this.