Feeling Nervous About Embracing Islam: A Sincere Heart Seeking Guidance
As-salamu alaykum, everyone. I'm writing from a place deep in the Bible Belt of America. My whole life, Christianity has been my path, but about a month ago, something unexpected happened. Late one night, I stumbled upon a Nasheed on YouTube, and honestly, it moved me like nothing ever has-it was truly beautiful. Since then, I've been researching Islam as much as I can, though I haven't yet read the Quran fully or taken my Shahada. The fear is real, and it's heavy on my heart. All my life, I've heard that Islam oppresses women, and where I live, people often mock the few Muslims around. On top of that, I'm really worried about my family-especially my parents and grandparents-not accepting me and possibly cutting off my college support. My brothers and sisters in faith, I'm so afraid to take this step, and I don't even know the words or timings for the prayers yet. Deep down, I feel this is the truth, the light, but I'm just overwhelmed. Any gentle advice would mean the world. Jazakum Allahu khayran 🙏