Half-Baked Muslimah Feeling Lost and Seeking Guidance
Assalamu alaikum. I feel a bit shy sharing this, but it’s the truth. I’m a Muslimah who only recently learned the shahada properly-I knew the words, but not their significance. I haven’t even memorized the five pillars yet. It honestly baffles me how many born Muslims are so relaxed about barely practicing Islam. It’s not just about missing prayers; some say ‘inshallah’ casually when reminded to pray, as if that’s enough. There’s no real striving. They’ll avoid pork, but chain-smoke, gossip freely-it’s so hypocritical. And the scariest part is how many don’t bother to learn the difference between strong and weak hadiths, or what might be fabricated or misunderstood. So many communities just cling to ‘old traditions’ under the name of Islam. Sorry for pouring all that out, you don’t have to read through it. I’m just really sad and frustrated, because as a born Muslim, I could have absorbed so much Islamic knowledge easily as a child and been a much better Muslimah now. Still, I know it’s never too late while I have breath. The problem is, I’m half-baked in everything. Some hadiths I learned turned out to be incomplete, my duas are a mess, and my tajweed is so bad. I often know the outward actions of things, but not the meaning or wisdom behind them. I honestly think I should just start from scratch, like a revert would. As a woman, online learning is my only real option. There’s too much corruption and free-mixing where I live, so going to mosques or seeking knowledgeable elders isn’t possible. But online sources feel unreliable too, so I’m stuck-depressed, angry, and everything in between! Any advice on where I can find a complete guide to Islam? I follow the Hanafi madhab, if that helps.